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WHAT A BOY- - • 
SAW IN THE ARMY 

y^6 



A Story of Sight-Seeing 
and Adventure in the 
War for the Union 



By JESSE BOWMAN YOUNG 



100 ©rioinal Brawincje b^ gvanh Bcart) 




NEW YORK: HUNT & EATON 



Copyright, 1894, by 

HUNT & EATON, 

New York. 

/ 



Wh^ 
a 



CoiftpoaltloD, *l«ctrot]rplnc, printing, mad blodlnir o^ 

HUNT k EATON, 

ISO Kifth Artnar, Nrw York. 



PREFATORY NOTE. 




STRIPLING, in the stormy days of '6i, heard the 
blast of a bugle and the beat of a drum — signals that 
the great war had opened. The sounds made his 
blood tingle and stirred his soul as they lured him to 
the front. He was then in the plastic period of boyhood, 
and the things which he saw and heard and felt took 
hold of him, biting into the quick — like the acid used in etching 
— and impressing upon his memory indelible pictures, in which 
terror and fun, privation and frolic, sorrow and joy, heroism and 
pathos, vie with each other for mastery. These pictures have 
haunted him for years, until at last he has transferred them to 
paper, in so far as he has been able, in the effort to portray 
some of the scenes, experiences,. and surroundings amid which 
the boys who wore the blue and followed the starry flag lived, 
moved, and had their being, " for three years, or during the war." 
The lad was barely out of his teens when the struggle ended, 
in 1865, but his experience in camp, on the march, and in battle, 
is ineffaceably stamped into his life and character. He was trained 
in war times to love the Union and the flag ; to appreciate the 
meaning of the word " freedom ;" to revere the principles which, 
after a life-and-death struggle, became triumphant ; to glorify 
the heroic spirits who were then in the forefront of the battle — 
in the cabinet, in Congress, in the field, and in the White House; 
and to admire and emulate the martial virtues of obedience, 



4 PREFATORY NOTE. 

couraq;e, patience, alertness, and clashing enterprise. He has 
many blessings to be grateful for, but chief among them he 
reckons the privilege of having been a soldier boy in the armies 
of the Union. 

Frank Beard, the artist whose remarkable pictures so aptly 
illustrate the story, was himself also a soldier in those days. 
He has said, in regard to the drawings, that " he just reached 
back into the knapsack which he used to carry and brought out 
of it these sketches of men and things as he saw them then ! " 
In the work of explicating and illuminating the graphic phases 
of this story Mr. Beard has been a most sympathetic and dis- 
cerning artist. Jesse Bow^man Young. 

Office of the Central Christian Advocate, 
St. Louis, Mo., February i, 1894. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

PAGE 

Some Skirmishing to Begin With 9 

CHAPTER n. 
Glittering Tinsel 28 

CHAPTER HI. 
A Brief Campaign Takes Some of the Shine Off « 44 

CHAPTER IV. 
Sight-seeing at Fort Donelson on Private Account. ....... 66 

CHAPTER V. 
Up the Tennessee River 84 

CHAPTER VI. 
The Boy Learns at Shiloh What His Legs were Made For 97 

CHAPTER VII. 
A Change of Front 121 

CHAPTER VIII. 
The Heights of Fredericksburg 133 

CHAPTER IX. 
The Army of the Potomac in Winter Quarters 158 

CHAPTER X. 
Out on the Picket Line 174 

CHAPTER XI. 
A Contraband's Wonderful Dream 185 



6 CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER XII. PAGE 
Once More on the Eve of Battle 203 

CHAPTER XIII. 
Tfte Thickets of Chancellorsville , , ... 218 

CHAPTER XIV. 
A Battle Sunday in the Wilderness 233 

CHAPTER XV. 
"About, Face! Northward, March!" 252 

CHAPTER XVI. 
" Maryland, My Maryland ! " 267 

CHAPTER XVII. 
Smelling the Battle Afar Off 282 

CHAPTER XVIII. 
The Struggle for Round Top 300 

CHAPTER XIX. 
Gettysburg — The Charge on Cemetery Hili 316 

CHAPTER XX. 
Gettysburg^The Great Victory 331 

CHAPTER XXI. 
After the Battle 348 

CHAPTER XXII. 
Back to Old Virginia 362 

CHAPTER XXIII. 
Staff Duty in Washington 380 

chapti:r XX IV. 

TnK Pageant Fades 389 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



PAGE 

An Old-fashioned Training Day ii 

The Trains that Ran Southward were All Laden with Soldiers. . i8 

"How Would You Like to Go Along with Me?" 22 

The Boy has His Picture Taken 29 

Ned, the Cook c . 37 

Saber-Practice by the Raw Recruit 39 

"Halt! Who Goes There?" 45 

"Here, Old Fellow, is Your Revolver!" 60 

Gunboat Assault on Fort Donelson 75 

A Pen and Ink Recollection of General Grant as He Appeared on 

THE Field 79 

"OLE Aunt Betty." 87 

Bringing the Mail 92 

He had Known for Some Years that He Had Legs. loi 

Pen and Ink Sketch of General Sherman, 1864 103 

The Boy Recognized General Grant no 

"O, Where's Reuben?" . 127 

"You are Absent from Your Regiment Without Leave." . . . . .129 

Fredericksburg Lay at Their Feet. . 138 

Bullets Whistled and Hissed and Rattled All About Them. . . . 142 
As He Spoke He Doubled Himself up Convulsively and Groaned with 

Agony 149 

"Thank God, the Christian Commission has Come." 152 

He Lay on the Earth Hugging the Ground 154 

"Wake Up! We are Going to Retreat!" 155 



8 ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PACK 

An Undercurrent of Comment and Criticism 160 

"Rock of Ages." 167 

A Picket from Each Side Met in Midstream 179 

A Figure Stealthily Creeping Along ihrough the Garden 183 

The Center of an Interested Group 186 

"DAT WAS de Day Trubble Come to Our Cabin." 190 

Pen and Ink Sketch of President Lincoln 197 

"Father Abe." 201 

They Tossed Him in a Blanket 208 

They Set Out to Make Calls of Ceremony on Their Generals . . .214 

"Halloo, Major, Have You Not Lost Your Alignment?" 225 

"Forward, Charge!" 229 

"Do Not Skulk Here." 237 

"How Can We Get Back to the Boys.'" 243 

They Proceeded to Prepare a Meager Meal 246 

The Roads were Dusty, and the Day was Hot 257 

Sergeant McBride 265 

A Newsboy Came Galloping by Laden with the Dailies 272 

"Colonel, Don't You Know You're Inside the Rebel Lines .'" .... 289 
She Asked for One of the Pennsylvania Reserve Regiments. . . .295 

Hancock the Magnificent 311 

" I Picked Up a Stone and Knocked Him to the Earth." 325 

"Boys, Never Give Up Your Battery!" 337 

"I'm, Give Them One More Shot." 343 

The Glorious Flag 353 

Jack Took a Good Look at the Prisoner 375 

"Richmond has Surrendered!" 39- 

Pen and Ink Sketch of General Phil. Sheridan, 1863 395 

Peace and Liberty Born From the Mouth ok the Cannon 399 



WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 



CHAPTER I. 

SOME SKIRMISHING, TO BEGIN WITH. 

N the closing month of 1861 — 
that far-away time of tumult 
and danger which has already 
receded into myths and shad- 
ows — a certain boy, still in 
his teens, responded to the 
invitations of the drumbeat 
and the bugle note which 
then were inviting volunteers 
to the front. His name, for the 
purposes of this record, shall be 
Jack Sanderson; but it must be 
understood that he was a real 
boy, and not merely a character in a story manufactured out of 
somebody's head and made up for the occasion. This boy was 
actually a live boy in the days of '61 and the aftertime ; he went 
into the Union army and saw what was to be seen there ; he took 
part in some of its campaigns, and shared in the dangers and 
excitements and terrors of some important battles, and came 
through it all without serious harm, and is now a man with chil- 
dren of his own, who love to hear stories about the war, and 




10 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

often beg him to tell them of life in the army. For their sake, 
and also to give pleasure to a host of young people who are 
interested in accounts of hardship, exposure, and romantic ad- 
venture, such as the volunteers realized in the late struggle, this 
boy has permitted me to write down some of the experiences 
through which he passed while he was a soldier for the Union. 

In i860, and the first half of 1861, when the storm of war was 
brewing, Jack was away from home at a boarding school. He 
had some notion of going to college after he had finished the 
preparatory course of study at the academy, for he was fonder 
of books and school than of anything else. He was a thin, pale, 
delicate-looking fellow, who liked to read an interesting tale better 
than play townball ; who always felt afraid of getting hit when 
he helped to storm a snow fort, and who did not care for violent 
romps, outdoor sports, and active games. Indeed, he was so dis- 
posed to mope over his book and become absorbed in a story 
that very often he had to be chased from the house into the fresh 
air before he could be forced to take any outdoor exercise. Of 
course nobody supposed that such a boy ever would make a 
soldier. 

There were but few martial influences or heroic surroundings, 
indeed, in this lad's neighborhood to develop soldierly inclina- 
tions. Once in a long while the people came from the back 
townships to the place where the militia, with their plumes and 
old-fashioned accouterments, went through the movements of 
training day — a great occasion in the young lad's life. His ear- 
liest impressions of "a trainer" left stamped iij)on liis childish 
vision a vivid picture of a prancing steed and a dashing, be-feath- 
ered, full-armed creature, of an order higher than the human 
race, in some strange way permanently united to the animal which 
he proudly bestrode, the horse and rider making but one mag- 
nificent being, which appeared on earth once in a groat wliilt! to 



SOME SKIRMISHING, TO BEGIN WITH. 13 

delight the assembled people ! The sham battles of that time 
were frightful to the little lad, and it is within his distinct recol- 
lection that on the first occasion when he heard the cannon fired 
off on the Fourth of July he ran home as fast as his shivering 
legs would carry him and hid under a bed, ashamed to let any- 
body know how terrified he was, stifling his sobs as best he could, 
and striving to stop his ears at the same time and shut out the 
horrible sound of the big black gun. A standing memorial of one 
of these national salutes was known through the country in the 
shape of a ghastly articfiial arm, ending in a steel hook, worn by 
a poor fellow who had been maimed by a premature discharge 
of the cannon. Once, it is true, the boy saw some real soldiers, 
a forlorn, sunburnt, weather-beaten body of volunteers, return- 
ing from the war in Mexico. The sight of these brave men, who 
had actually been in battle, some of them wounded and a few of 
them very ill, crowded upon a canal boat and greeted with 
cheers and enthusiasm and tears by the people on the banks, 
a touorh little drummer wakinof the echoes with his drum, and a 
torn flag waving proudly overhead — this is one of the boy's very 
earliest memories of childhood. There was not much in these 
things, it is clear, to prompt him ever to become a soldier. But 
there dawned an hour when the boy became a man, when, 
althouofh still in his teens, frasfile and unmuscular, there was 
roused within him a love for his country, a spirit of devotion to 
the Stars and Stripes, an appreciation of the meaning of the words 
liberty and union, such as belong to full-fledged manhood. How 
all this came about we shall see in due course of this story. 

One day at the school there was a serious commotion. 
Among the students were some boys and young men from Mary- 
land and Virginia. Carter Burton, the recognized leader of these 
Southern students, was a handsome, graceful, hot-headed youth, 
who had been brought up on a plantation, with slaves to wait on 



14 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

him and plenty of money at command. He used to sneer at the 
" Abolitionists" and berate the Northern people because some of 
them opposed slavery. 

On the day in question news had come that Fort Sumter 
was in danger ; the very air resounded with the threats which had 
been made by South Carolina troops that they would destroy and 
take the fortress. The school was in a buzz of confusion all day 
long ; the teachers themselves could hardly give attention to 
their tasks, much less keep the boys at their studies, and every- 
body seemed to be impressed that something dreadful was going 
to happen. It appeared as though a volcano was on the eve of 
an eruption or as if a mine was just ready to blow up. 

In the late afternoon, as the boys were coming in to chapel 
exercises. Burton was noticed in the center of an excited and 
noisy group ofstudents who were arguing, threatening, quarreling, 
almost fighting. Just as they reached the chapel door some one 
called out, 

" Burton, what is that rosette which you have pinned on your 
coat ? " 

The speaker was a tall, ungainly youth from the mountain 
region of Pennsylvania, to whom the nickname of Lanky Jones 
had been given by his fellows in the school — a sturdy, quiet, 
hard-working lad, who was earning his way through the academy 
by ringing the bell and sweeping the halls of the institution. 

" None of your business. Lanky," was the sharp retort. 
" If you mind your bell rope you will have enough to do without 
meddling with my affairs." 

" Carter, that's a secession badge, isn't it } " persisted Lanky, 
approaching the Southerner, who, eyeing the questioner coolly, 
replied, 

"Why do you ask me? You seem to know all about it 
bf'forchand." 



SOME SKIRMISHING, TO BEGIN WITH. 15 

Lanky came up gradually through the crowd nearer to 
Burton, his face pale and his voice trembling with excitement. 
He took a closer look and saw that the Southern colors were 
woven together in a knot of red and white ribbon on which was 
mounted a Confederate seal of some kind. As soon as he made 
the discovery he put forth a sudden and impulsive plunge with 
his hand, and, snatching the offensive badge from its place on the 
coat, he threw it to the floor and angrily stamped upon it. In- 
stantly Burton dealt him a heavy blow, which was partly parried, 
and amid increased excitement and rage the two antagonists 
clinched and attempted to settle their dispute with the fist. 
The confusion brought one of the teachers out of the chapel, 
and before either of the young combatants had received any 
very serious hurt they were separated, and the boys were di- 
rected to come into the service that was just commencing. 

This incident is a sample of scenes that were constantly tak- 
ing place in various sections of the land. Many of the boys and 
girls of that time were just as patriotic as the grown-up people. 
They did not know much about the causes that led to the war ; 
they could not see all the dangers that threatened the nation- — ■ 
they were but boys and girls — but they loved their flag, and 
they adored the Union, and they trusted Mr. Lincoln, and they 
were ready to do their share toward saving the government 
from destruction. 

Since the people everywhere were agitated over the situation 
of things in the South, it is no wonder that there was during that 
winter of '60 and '61 a state of continual disturbance among 
the boys on account of politics. In the literary societies week 
after week they had very exciting debates over the two questions 
of slavery and secession, which were then alarming and troubling 
the whole country. Once or twice, when the character of John 
Brown, who had just been executed for treason, was under dis- 



10 WHAT A MOV SAW IN THE ARMY. 

cussion, and, after that, when the labors and principles of Abra- 
ham Lincoln were debated, the youths proceeded from bitter 
and hasty words to sturdy blows, and sometimes the meetings 
broke uj) in a rt)w. 

Those wIk) are old enough to remember those months of 
uncertainty and tumult, of wrath and alarm, will ever pray that 
the country may be kept in all the future from such disturbances. 
Nobody knew what was before the nation. The very air was 
full of strife and hate and signs of danger. The wisest and 
the soberest men trembled for the safety of the government. 
Society was like the troubled sea, tossing and heaving in a terri- 
ble tempest. The angr\' and threatening proceedings of Con- 
gress that winter were repeated in the same spirit of violence 
in the homes and schools and business places of the people in 
all parts of the country. 

One day the whole communit)- was moved by the discovery 
that a Confederate Hag was ll\ing over the academy. Of course 
the offensive banner was removed and torn to pieces in a fervor 
of loyalty as soon as it was discovered, but the incident made 
a deep impression on the students, who gathered in noisy and 
contentious knots about the grounds in the intervals between 
recitations and discussed the situation. No one could be found 
to defend the act, as most of the b<)\s were from loyal Pennsyl- 
vania, an<l in the prt-scnt Ic-mpcr of the town and of tlie school 
secession sentiments were not popular. 

" I believe it was Burton," said Lanky Jones. " He has the dar- 
ing and audacity for just such a trick. You know what he wore 
yesterday, lie believes the South is going to establish a great 
empire, and that all the North must succumb to it. I've heard 
him say he did not want to livt- under the Stars and Stripes." 

"There he comes now, Lanky. Stick it at him. Say like a 
man before his face what you've just said behind liis back." 



SOME SKIRMISHING, TO BEGIN WITH. 17 

"Certainly I will," said Lanky; and as the young Southerner 
came up he accosted him : " Burton, I remarked something 
about you just n,ow that the boys want you to hear. I said that 
I believed it was you who put that flag on the belfry." 

Burton stopped, and his cheeks glowed like fire. " Well," 
said he, after a short pause, " what if I did .'' What have you to 
say or do about it } " 

" I have just this to say, Carter Burton. You'd better go and 
live under that thing you call the Stars and Bars. You're nothing 
but a rebel at heart, and you come North to flaunt your seces- 
sion doctrines in our faces. If you do not clear out it will not 
be well for you. I give you fair warning." 

" Curses on you and your flag! " said the hasty and imperious 
Burton. " It was I who unfurled that Confederate flag up yon- 
der. It is the banner of my people and the sign of the rights 
and doctrines I believe in. I am ready to back up my opinions 
with my life, too. I'm sick of the whole Yankee tribe. I wish 
the Mayflozuer had sunk with her entire cargo before — " 

A savage shout of indignation came from the crowd. They 
had heard enough to madden them. Half a dozen Southerners 
with like sentiments and sympathies ranged themselves about 
Burton, who was reckless and angry enough to defy the whole 
throne alone. In the midst of the brawl and before violence 
could strike a blow the principal appeared. He had over- 
heard the conversation, and his presence quelled the turmoil for 
the time. 

He simply said, " Mr. Burton, walk up to my room." The 
young man obeyed, and the two were closeted together for more 
than an hour. What passed between them no one ever found 
out. At the end of the interview Burton came out, went to his 
apartment, packed his trunk, and took the first train for his 
Southern home. 



18 



WHA r A BOV SAW IN THE ARMY. 



Soon after this event a dispatch was received that the Con- 
federates had fired on Fort Sumter. The news set the boys 
clean crazy with patriotic excitement. A military company 
was organized, called " The Seminary Cadets," and drilling 
began. Jack Sanderson enrolled himself as a member of it, 
and wrote home to his mother for permission to go right into 
active service. He wanted to abandon school and enlist im- 




THF. TRAINS THAT RAN SOUTHWAkH WERE AI.I. LADEN WITH SOLDIERS. 

mediately, in a fever of loyalty. The thought that the flag had 
been insulted and one of the national forts bombarded stirred 
his deepest soul. He could not study ; he was not able to think 
about anything else than the troubles that had overwhelmed 
the country ; for a while, indeed — but this was not a long while 
— he even lost his appetite ! When that event overtakes a boy 
it is a sure sign that something has occurred which really and 
deeply moves him ! 



SOME SKIRMISHING, TO BEGIN WITH. 19 

Meanwhile the town was in commotion. The President had 
called for seventy-five thousand volunteers, and enlistment was 
going on everywhere. The sound of the merry fife and the 
rattling drum was heard by night and day. The trains that ran 
southward, passing the academy, were all laden with soldiers. 
Bluecoats appeared by hundreds on the streets. The glitter 
of bayonets and the flash of brass buttons shone out at every 
turn. Mass meetings were held, and impassioned speeches were 
made to great audiences of people, who were profoundly agi- 
tated at the incidents that were daily occurring at Washington 
and farther south. Thousands, amid tearful partings and patri- 
otic admonitions, and, alas! sometimes dismal forebodings, hur- 
ried off to the front. 

In a few days Jack had a letter from his mother. It ran thus : 

"My Dear Boy: I am not surprised at your request. I 
have been looking for it duringr these troubled weeks. The war 
which some wise men have been for a long time foretelling is 
upon us. I am glad that my son has his heart full of love for 
his country. I am proud of his patriotism. But, my dear Jack, 
you are too young to think of enlisting. You would only risk, 
and maybe lose, your life without doing any service worth while. 

" And have you forgotten that you are my only boy, and that 
I am left in widowhood to make my own way in the world, and 
that you will have to help care for and support your little sis- 
ters ? If you should go off to the war and be wounded or killed, 
O, what would we all do } I dare not think of it. It almost 
breaks my heart, the very thought of such a fate for my son. . 

" There are plenty of men for the service. Let them do the 
fighting. The boys are not called to go. 

" No, Jack, I cannot, my dear boy — I cannot let you go. 
" In much love, Your Mother." 



20 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

Jack read the letter hurriedly. He knit his brows and wiped 
his eyes and read it ac^ain. Then he folded it up and began to 
pace the room, compressing his lips and twitching his face and 
makin*'- random irestures with his hands and arms. Then he 
sat down and went over the epistle once more. At last he said : 

"Well, I suppose I'll have to give up going with the boys 
just now. I can't get over this letter. She has been too good 
a mother for me to flatly disobey her — that is, just at this time! 
Hui there's no use trying to keep me out of the army. I musl 
go. I feel it in my bones. I cannot stand it to have this thing 
continue — the country in danger, men needed, our glorious flag 
fired on, the capital threatened, and everything going to sticks 
— while I,stay at home and do nothing to help save the land 
from ruin. I can't do it! One of these days I mus^ go into 
service ! " 

And thus the question was settled for the time being, and 
thus the reason appears why Jack did not start out with those 
who went in the spring of '6i into the army. 

Hut, nevertheless, he kept thinking over the question, and 
wondering how the way would be opened for him to enlist with- 
out wounding and squarely disobeying his mother. Sometimes 
he was about ready to go against her will, and then he would 
halt, and reconsider his plans. So matters continued for several 
montlis. 

When th<.' disaster at Inill Run occurred he was on the point 
of rushingoff at once, but the recruiting officer would not accept 
him on account of his youth. What the outcome might be was 
a i)roblem which gave him constant perplexity. At last an event 
occurred which changed the situation and secured for him a pro- 
visional consent from his mother. 

The incident itself was in brief and abruptly announced to 
Jack one day early in December. iSGi.by one of the boys of 



SOME SKIRMISHING, TO BEGIN WITH. 21 

the town in which they both lived, as they met on the street, in 
these words: " Halloo, Jack, your Uncle Sam has arrived in a 
new uniform, and he looks like a general." Jack, as he hurried 
home, found that the whole community — an interior town in Penn- 
sylvania — had within an hour been thrown into a tremulous con- 
dition of excitement and pleasure by the arrival of a tall and dis- 
tinguished-looking gentleman in uniform. The whole family to 
which Jack belonged was thereby put in commotion, and through- 
out a wide circle of relatives the news was quickly carried that 
" Uncle Samuel " had come home to say good-bye before finally 
joining his regiment in the Western army. The person thus 
familiarly addressed and alluded to by his nephews and nieces 
on the Susquehanna was known now as Major Bowman. In the 
early settlement of California he had gone to that State, practic- 
ing his profession as a lawyer with high success in the city of 
San Francisco for ten or twelve years. He had come East the 
year before the war broke out to tone up his overtaxed brain 
and broken-down nerves ; and for twelve months or so he had 
been huntine and fishingf and runninor about over the moun- 

<r> o o 

tains of the Alleghenies regaining his lost health. He had 
been for some time assisting to recruit an Illinois regiment of 
cavalry, and was now on his way to rejoin it at Cairo in that 
State. 

This incident stirred up Jack's war spirit afresh. The 
autumn had gone by without seeing him enlist ; but now that 
this military relative had arrived the whole question came up 
for reconsideration. The boy's mind was in a whirl of hope 
and wonder and perplexity. He had an idea that in some way 
the road would be opened now for the fulfillment of his cher- 
ished wishes. 

Major Bowman had but a few hours to tarry, and these were 
busily occupied. Soon after he arrived he met Jack and said to 



22 



WHAT A I'.OV SAW IX THE ARMY. 



liiin in a casual way. " How would you like to go along with me 
out into the Western arnn- ? " 

The boys eyes Hashed with eagerness and his lips trembled 
with feeling as he replied : 

" O, uncle, you do not mean that you have any thought of 
taking me with you, do you ? I have been dreaming and hop- 
ing and longing to 

00 into service ever 
since last spring,but 
mother is not will- 
ing for me to enlist. 

1 cannot stand it to 
stay at home while 
all the rest of the fel- 
lows go to the front. 
Besides, I should 
not like to think, 
after the war is over, 
that I did not help 
to save the Union." 

Major Bowman 
smiled at the boy's 
impulsiveness, and 
said : 
*' I have been thinking over the matter very seriously. I need 
some one to go with me for the present, at least, to act as my 
secretary. In the organization of the regiment there is a good 
deal of writing to do. and I will have to get some one to do it. I 
think you are entirely too young to enlist as a soldier now. You 
arc not rugged, and the exposures and hardships of a single cam- 
paign would soon kill you, I fear, even if you should escape the 
bullets of the enemy. What I have to suggest is this: I will take 




"HOW WOl'I.n YOII I.IKF. TO GO ALONG WITH MK?" 



SOME SKIRMISHING, TO BEGIN WITH. 23 

you along as an experiment, and maybe some position may open 
up that will be just the thing for you. For example, you might 
make a good quartermaster's clerk — " 

" Quartermaster ? who is he ? What does he do in the 
army ?" said Jack, in his ignorance. 

" The quartermaster," said the major, " is the officer whose 
duty it is to procure and issue supplies of various sorts to the 
troops, such as clothing, tents, forage for the horses, and matters 
of that kind. He supplies wagons for transporting baggage, and 
has a certain number of sergeants and clerks to aid him." 

" Does he go out and do any fighting } " said the ambitious 
youth. 

" No, quartermasters usually have no actual fighting to do ; but 
they often pass through all the danger and excitement they care 
about in an active campaign. Or you might get a place with the 
sutler of the regiment. He needs several assistants, and I do 
not know but that you — " 

"You will have to explain your words again. I do not know 
what a sutler is. What are his duties in service ? " was the fur- 
ther inquiry of the unsophisticated boy. 

" The sutler is a man authorized by the government to sell 
certain kinds of goods to the soldiers. He keeps the camp store 
and makes money by the sale of various articles that are wanted 
by the men," 

" Does the sutler ever sfo into a battle ? " 

The major laughed out at the boy's greenness, and then pro- 
ceeded, " O, no ; you would not find a sutler within gunshot of a 
battlefield. That is not his place of business. He and his 
clerks are very careful not to come M^tliin reach of the rebel bul- 
lets ; and, indeed, they would be big fools to venture into dan- 
ger for nothing." 

" But, uncle, I do not fancy the idea of going into the army, 



2t WHAT A BOV SAW IN THE ARMY. 

or rather pretcndinor to go, in such a position as that of sutler's 
clt-rk. Why, there's no glory in that. I would sooner stay at 
home altogether. 1 want to sec some actual fighting and be 
a real soldier if I go at all." And the boy's cheek flushed with 
ardor and enthusiasm. 

'• W'lII, nu' boy, when )-ou have seen some actual service I 
think you will have; your enthusiasm dampened a little. The 
life of a soldier is a very serious business, especially in a war 
which will last as long and be as great an undertaking as this 
rebellion. It is no child's play, I can tell you beforehand. The 
glitter of a new uniform and the music of a clattering band and 
the appearance of a brigade on drill or the passing of an army 
in review may all seem very romantic and attractive to )'OU at 
first. It may appear to the spectator like a beautiful and entic- 
ing vision. You imagine it a fine thing to camp out and live 
in tents and go on picket and be promoted for gallantry, and 
all that. lUit, at the start, I want to tell you that all this is 
merely the outside of the soldier's life; — the shining shell — that's 
all. The romance soon gets rubbed off To march or ride for 
h(nirs or days with only half rations through the blistering heat 
or the freezing cold, in mud or dust or snow, hungry and worn 
out, and ready to drop at every step ; to expose your life in the 
battle ; to run the risk of cai)ture or of wounds that may cripple 
you for Hhr, or face; and meet dcalh in sonu; shocking and ghastly 
form on the field ; to get sick and lie in the hospital for weeks 
without a single relative near — that's what the soldier's actual 
career is like. Youngster, you will have another idea of' glory' 
when you've been through a year of service at the front. If you 
go I want you to go with your eyes wide open. You must not 
expect to be sprinkled with cologne water and go to sleep on 
pillows of down. There's a cU;al of rough and dangerous and 
nasty work to be done. War is a dreadful thing, even at its 



SOME SKIRMISHING, TO BEGIN WITH. 25 

best, when it is undertaken as a last resort in order to serve the 
cause of freedom ; and it is very foolish to go into it with the 
notion that it is merely a romantic panorama." 

" Well, uncle," said the boy, his cheek not so red now, and 
his eye not flashing so eagerly as a little while ago, " I've 
thought of some of these things before. I never had the idea 
that I would have a holiday in the army." 

And then Jack's lips closed with an effort to hold in check 
the emotions that were at work in his heart. His face took on 
an aspect of new resolution and firmness. A look of purpose 
and decision came into his eyes. He realized more thoroughly 
than ever what was before him if he went to the war, and, as he 
took in the aspects of the case which had been presented by the 
major, his heart failed him a little. He questioned whether in 
some such situation as had been pictured he might not quail 
and prove unworthy of the name of soldier ; whether he could 
stand the exposures and hardships of a campaign ; whether, if 
he went, he would ever come back again. This train of thought 
sobered him, but in a few moments he said quietly," Uncle, if you 
think I can be of service to you, and by and by get into the 
army in reality, I am ready to go along." 

" But what will your mother say.''" 

" O, I think she has about made up her mind that I am bound 
to go, anyhow, and this will strike her as a good opening for me." 

Just then the mother entered the room. Jack turned to her 
and said, with a sort of gasp, " Mother, the major offers to take 
me along to Cairo with him. I can come back whenever I want 
to. I can be of service to him for the present, and perhaps in 
time get into the army. What do you say.?" 

" My son, I have kept you at home already a good part of 
a year, and all that time you have been wild to go into service. 
I am not willing for you to enlist now. But if your uncle is 



26 WH \I- A HOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

williiii,^ to take you alonj^^ with him I will not stand in the way. 
Vou oLii,du to deliberate very carefully before deciding." 

•• Why, mother," said the boy, " I have been deliberating for 
months. I cannot endure it any longer to stay at home. I must 
have at least a taste of army life." 

•■ How long will it take you to get ready, Jack?" said the 
major ; " I have no time to wait. I leave on the early train to- 
morrow." 

" I will be ready, sir, whenever you are. Depend on that." 
And with the words the boy hurried away to pack his valise and 
announce the project to his associates. 

That night tlu; household was in very serious mood. The 
boy hiniii^'lf felt deeply the importance of the step he was taking. 
What might lie before him he did not know. His imagination, 
quickened with the excitements of the day, was full of all sorts 
of Hitting visions. He pictured the anxiety which his mother 
and sisters would feel during the long months of his absence. 
He saw himself now in camp, now on the field, now in the hands 
of the foe, now in an enemy's prison. Anon he beheld himself 
an officer (and at tlu* word his heart throbbed the quicker), with 
sword ami epaulets and elegant accouterments. And then, the 
scenes shifting, he said to himself, with a spasm of dread, "What 
if I should never get back again ? What if this were to be the 
last evening I should ever spend at home .'' O, dear, what will 
it all lead to — where will it all end ?" 

Thus in the intervals of conversation his mind was in a whirl 
of c-xciting ami changing pictures. The folks all spoke with 
cheerfulness and hope of Jack's plans ; but once in a while a 
word half spoken, a fear half uttered, a sly tear hastily wiped 
away, would indicate the cloud that hovered over the group. 
Whenever Jack lookc.l iiuo the- face of any one of that circle — 
mother, sister, or aged grandparents — he found loving eyes 



SOME SKIRMISHING, TO BEGIN WITH. 



27 



regarding him with wistful affection. Then a big lump would 
creep into his throat, and he would choke it down with a violent 
effort and pretend to have a sudden fit of coughing and say to 
himself, " I do hope we will not have a ' scene ' when I go." 

The ofood-niofht kisses were not forgrotten when bedtime 
came ; and before that hour his sisters all clustered about him 
with gentle caresses, each with a little keepsake — a needlecase, 
a Testament, a necktie, and some warm woolen socks. They 
bravely kept back the tears while in the room, but Jack could 
hear their sobs after they went out. Once or twice his mother 
stopped as she passed Jack and stood for a while running her 
fingers gently over the boy's hair. The touch of her hand, 
strangely tremulous and tender, sent a thrill down deep into 
his heart. Striving to choke back the feelings that almost over- 
came him, at last he arose, and, putting his arms about her, said, 
" Never mind, mother, maybe I'll be back sooner than you will 
want to see me. You will not be ashamed of me, anyway ; I 
will warrant you that." 

And thus, with warm and lovlncr kisses from his little sisters 
fresh upon his lips, and with the prayer of his mother, " God bless 
and keep my boy!" ringing in his ears, and with heart and brain 
dizzy with conflicting emotions, Jack started out to be a soldier. 




2« AVUAI' a 150V SAW IX THE ARMY. 



f'i if.. 



x« 




CHAPTER II. 

GLITTERING TINSEL. 



ACK, until this journey, had never 
seen a prairie. Day and night ever 
since he was born he had been 
within sight of the mountains. 
Wherever he had cast his eyes all 
around the landscape he had been 
accustomed to see them — blue and 
misty afar off, dressed in greener 
lints close by, covered with forests 
or gray with granite bowlders, chang- 
'Z-' ing their hues with every passing hour, 
'~v2, and seeminsf sometimes likc^ living crea- 
^. tures with a voice and language all their 
own. Crossing the Alleghenies in the dim twilight, he bade 
them good-bye and woke up next morning to find himself in 
scenes that were strange and new. The prairies of the West 
were just beginning to appear. Looking back, he could barely 
distinguish the hills of Ohio fading away in the distance, while 
on either side of the track alonof which th('\- were whirlincr the 
rolling sea of prairie grass stretched in yellow, snow-tinged billows. 
Here and there was a settler's cabin, succeeded by a colony 
of yelping prairie dogs, with thriving towns and a few dawning 
cities intervening between great expanses of wheat and corn 
stubble, and then— Chicago, at that time a place of about one 



GLITTERING TINSEL. 



29 



hundred and fifty thousand inhabitants. Here the boy was fur- 
nished with his uniform, made up of a roundabout and a singular 
sort of padded breeches, called " cavalry trousers," all trimmed 
with yellow braid, and seeming to have been made up expressly 
for some other fellow. Jack felt stiff and awkward in the suit, and 







'^a^^ 



THE BOY HAS HIS PICTURE TAKEN. 



yet there was mingled with his conscious awkwardness a sense of 
pride and elation, especially when he saw himself reflected in 
the hotel mirror, where he hardly recognized himself; and when 
he started out to see the city he was certain that all the people 
were looking at him and noting with admiration his new military 
garb. 

Of course the boy had his picture taken at once, and sent 



30 WHAT A I'.OV SAW IX THE ARMY. 

the treasure, showin- him in his army dress, back to his friends 
in Pennsylvania. He could scarcely keep his face straight dur- 
uvj, the operation of securing a likeness, as he wondered what 
the home folks would think and say when the picture should 
reach them. It is a famil\- tradition, on the other hand, that 
these same hduie folks could not retain their composure of coun- 
tenance, either, wht^n that remarkable portrait challenged their 
admiration, presenting their soldier-boy as a curious mixture of 
valorous discomfort, niilitary ambition, uneasy vanity, and con- 
scious awkwardness in his novel costume — sleeves two inches 
below the wrist, coat collar pressing rigidly up against the chin, 
tight against the throat ; brass buttons by the dozen glittering 
down tlie front and scattered promiscuously on other parts of 
the roundabout; yellow tape of a cheap and showy variety 
wriiTirlinor and crawlinfj here and there over the surface of the 
garment, and the trousers looking as though they had been cut 
out to fit some ungainly, bow-legged biped from another planet. 
Moreover, there was an expression about the entire picture — an 
" atmosphere," so to speak — that seemed to say: "This trouble 
will very shortly be at an end. The country has been waiting 
for me, and here I am, ready for duty, accoutered for action, pre- 
pared to crush the rebellion at short notice, and thus save the 
land and the Hag. The great object of my appearance on the 
scene is to quell the disturbance and summarily put an end to 
the hostilities of the war. This revolt will not last long after I 
commence active operations against the enemy. All I ask is a 
fair chance to get at him. I have any amount of latent courage, 
loyalty, strategic ability, and general military capacity hidden 
away under this new uniform, and the country will be startled 
when these powers begin to appear. If you want to see signs 
and wonders wrought, only wait until this raw recruit takes the 
field!" 



GLITTERING TINSEL. 31 

A long ride on the cars brought the major and Jack from 
Chicago down through central Illinois, panoramic glimpses of 
fertile farms and pioneer settlements flitting before their eyes at 
every step of the way, until the morning showed them their des- 
tination, the muddy, water-locked city of Cairo, at the junction 
of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, where, after a tasteless break- 
fast at the St. Charles Hotel — tasteless, did I say? I was 
wrong ; it was full of soda taste ; everything was seasoned with 
it : hot biscuit, coffee, eggs, bacon, all revealed a thorough sprin- 
kling of the caustic stuff — well, after this characteristic meal the 
major said to Jack, " The horses are here, and we must hurry 
out to camp." 

They went to the door, and there stood a handsome black 
horse, fiery and wicked-looking, madly champing his bit and 
impatiently pawing the mud, and bearing an elegant military 
saddle, decorated with blue trappings and gold lace. A rough- 
and-ready-seeming soldier, tall, stout, with burly, overgrown 
shoulders, who was holding the animal, lifted his hat and made 
a salute, saying : *' We're glad to have you with us again, major. 
Here is Prince all ready for you. Nobody can't do nuthin' with 
him when you're away, that's sartin. I've had my hands full this 
morning bringin' 'im here. He knows who is his master." 

In a moment the major was in the saddle, and Jack was di- 
rected to mount the little bay, Charley by name, the man follow- 
ing as they galloped away. 

"That's Jim Van Meter," said Major Bowman, as they rode 
along. " He takes care of my horses and acts as orderly to 
carry messages for me, and does all sorts of work about my head- 
quarters. It will not take you long to get acquainted with him. 
He is a great character in the camp." 

Jack had not had a chance to look about him upon the new 
region until this moment, and now he commenced to use his 



82 WHAT A 15()V SAW IN VUK ARMY. 

eyes and make a hasty exploration of the town and surrounding 

coiintr)'. 

" Why, major, this place is under water," was his first com- 
nu-nt as he looked down from the levee upon the town and 
observed it swimminL,^ in a sea of mud. 

"Yes," was the reply, "it is in that condition nearly all the 
lime. \'ou notice that the river is many feet above the level of 
the lowest streets. This great bank or levee is all that saves 
the town from making a part of the bottom of the Mississippi." 

" And is this the Mississippi ? I have been wondering what 
sort of an impression it would make on me when I should look 
on it for the first time. How muddy and wide and big it is! But 
see out there in the middle of the stream ; what makes that part 
of the current so much clearer than tlie rest.'*" 

" That is the Ohio River, a cleaner stream than the ' Father 
of Waters,' and its current can be traced many miles below 
hire." 

A (vw brick business houses stood on the bank, and here 
antl there appeared a handsome house, but the most of the dwell- 
ings were low, squatty, and untidy. Everything appeared to be 
under the weather. The shores on the other side of the river 
were low and covered with scrub oaks or some other stunted 
sjjecies of tree down to the water's edge. It was a dismal, 
swampy, fever-onc-day-and-chill-the-other-ish sort of region to 
look on. It required some resolution in Jack to keep down a 
feeling of disappointment, llis enthusiasm certainly was not at 
the boiling point that dull and dreary winter day as he rode 
through the streets of Cairo. 

" I must look at a map ami find out the situation of this place. 
I forget just how the States come together down here," he said 
to himself, and then, speaking aloud, he asked, " Have you a map 
at camp?" 



GLITTERING TINSEL. 33 

" Certainly, that's one of the things every intelHgent cavalry 
officer needs. The generals and their staff officers have to 
study geography all the time while they are planning and car- 
rying out their campaigns. We must note the roads and rivers, 
and trace the railroad connections, and examine the situation of 
the towns and mountains and passes, and take into careful con- 
sideration the whole lay of the land. Here, by the way, you will 
see something entirely new." And as the major reined in his 
horse he pointed down the river. " Yonder do you discover a 
line of earthworks } That is the Confederate fort over in Ken- 
tucky. Until lately the rebels had also fortifications on the Mis- 
souri side, but I think since the skirmish at Belmont they have 
withdrawn from that vicinit'y. I believe the general who com- 
manded our troops in that fight is to be our commander here." 
And then, turning and accosting the orderly, he said, " Van, is 
General Grant here 7 " 

" Yes, sir, our regiment is to serve under him. I heard this 
morning that he had been made commander of this military dis- 
trict, and the boys say that means they sha'n't have any winter 
quarters." 

" Who is General Grant.?" said Jack. 

" He was once in the regular army, and a few months ago was 
made colonel of an Illinois regiment, and he is now the briga- 
dier general commanding at this point. He is a very quiet-look- 
ing officer, but he made the rebels fly at Belmont, and those who 
know him say he can make noise enough when the time comes. 
He is to review all the troops in this vicinity soon, and then you 
can see him for yourself But here we are at camp. How are 
you. Colonel Dickey ? Good morning, adjutant. Why, Captain 
Dodge, I am glad to see you." 

And as they stopped in front of regimental headquarters a 
group of officers gathered about the major, who dismounted and 

3 



34 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

shook hands all around. Then Jack was introduced and wel- 
comed, Colonel Dickey saying as he greeted the boy: 

" Well, Jack, we'll try to take good care of you for a while. 
Hard tack and bacon will bring you out in a jiffy. My son is here 
with us, and is the bugler for regimental headquarters. Charley ! 
ho ! Charley ! Where in blazes is the boy 7 He can get out of 
sight quicker than a squirrel. If he wants to be bugler for me he 
will have to learn to be on hand when wanted. O, here you are. 
Charley, this is Major Bowman's nephew, Jack Sanderson. He 
has come out here from Pennsylvania to try soldiering with us 
for a while. You two will be company for each other if you 
behave yourselves." 

And thus Jack was made at once to feel at home in the camp. 
The major's tent was very comfortable and cheerful, furnished 
with a small stove, a desk, a folding cot, a trunk, a chest, and some 
other odds and ends which Jack hardly expected to find in camp. 
That was in the early part of the war, be it remembered, and a 
good deal more baggage was allowed and taken with the army 
than altcTward, when everybody had to go in light marching 
order, iu\([ when the chief commander of the largest army in the 
field was said to require as his portion of luggage for a cam- 
paign nothing more than a toothbrush and a paper collar. 

" Your tent is just back of this, Jack," said the major. "It is 
what we call an ' A 'tent, on account of its shape. You can get 
some straw at the quartermaster's and fix your bed and get your- 
self settled in your new home, for I will have work for you to do 
this afternoon." 

Jack went out, carrying his satchel and shawl-strap, and 
inspected his quarters. The ground was wet, and snow mixed 
with mud surrounded the new habitation. As he took in the 
situation he seriously questioned whether he could make himself 
at all comfiirtable even with plenty of straw. 



GLITTERING TINSEL. 35 

" Van," he asked, as that dignitary approached, " where is the 
quartermaster's tent ? I want to get some straw." 

" I'll show you after a while. Just now I'm going to water 
the hosses down at the river, and if you want to go along you 
may ride Charley." 

Jack was glad to have another chance for horseback exercise. 
He felt already as though Charley were bone of his bone and 
flesh of his flesh when he was in the saddle on the prancing 
and beautiful animal. Leaving camp, they loped down a road 
that abounded with deep mudholes, old buttonwood stumps, 
underbrush, and rotting logs, with here and there a cast-off 
boiler, the remnant of some old steamboat disaster. Soon they 
entered a miniature forest of singular-looking plants, slim, 
straight, smooth, and topped with feathery leaves. They were 
from six to fifteen feet in height, and some of them not much 
thicker than stalks of Indian corn. Many stems had fallen and 
become entangled together, so that it was impossible to see very 
far through the thicket. It was a strange and singular sight to 
the boy, who inquired at once, " What do you call this wilder- 
ness } I never saw such a growth as this." 

" Why, boy, whar did you have yer broughtin' up ? Did you 
never see a canebrake before ? " 

" No, I never did. We do not have them in our region at 
all. I have seen the canes that are sold for fishing-rods, but I 
never saw any of this size, and I never knew how they grew." 
Arid as he examined the strange and singular scenery an old 
stanza came into his mind : 

" Down by the canebrake, close by the sea." 

In the midst of his musings a shrill whistle suddenly roused 
him, and glancing ahead he saw the river, booming with its 
muddy waters, on which was a great steamer bearing right down 



86 WHAT A BOY SAW IX THE ARMY. 

Upon him, as it seemed at first sight. Jack started and made a 
motion impulsively as if to check his horse. 

" 1 la. boy, that's a good one !" laughed Van Meter. " Don't 
be afeard ; that old mudscraper isn't goin' to cut across lots this 
trip. She knows better 'n that. She has to bear in almost to 
the shore to make the bend in the river and git her head up in 
the right course on the oilier side." And as he spoke the prow 
of the vessel, which all but touched the bank, wheeled around 
and was soon lost to view around the curve in the river. 

Dinner was ready when they returned, and the boy, like all 
of his species at mealtime, was ready for it. He found that he 
was to eat with the battalion headquarters mess, along with the 
major and half a dozen other officers. He saw on the table some 
hartl bread or arm)- crackers, some hot biscuit, an appetizing 
roast of beef, with two or tliree sorts of vegetables. He said to 
himself, " If this is army fare I shall not suffer." 

Something of the same thought appeared in his face also, 
for the major said: " Jack, do not expect to get such rations as 
these every day. While we are here at Cairo we can get what 
we please. It will be different when we start out into the 
enemy's country. Ned, our cook, however, will go along with us, 
and he will see that we do not absolutely starve." 

Ned, the imjjortant personage alluded to, was just pouring 
out the coffee into the tin cups that stood at each plate, and he 
grinned with delight and pride at the remark. 

" Yes, sah, majah, you can alius depen' on Ned. As long as 
you (lone fuhnish me wid de perwisions I can cook 'em to de 
satisfaction of any genTineii. Trus' ole Xcd fur dat work. Dat's 
w'at he's ht.-ah foh." 

" I'm very much afraid that Ned will beat a retreat after we 
start <lown into the South. He will say that he has no 'call ' in 
that direction. How is it, Ned } If we are ordered to advance 



GLITTERING TINSEL. 



37 



into Dixie will you go along? Honestly, now, will you promise 
not to desert us ? " was the inquiry of one of the officers. 

" Cap'n, dat's a mighty delicate question to ax me, I'se gwine 
wid ye for a while anyhow ; an' when it gits too hot fur me to 
Stan' it any longer, den mebbe I'll done gone cl'ar out. I'se mos' 
powerful keerful o' my life, I is. It's de only one I'se got. Dis 
chile's not gwine to let the rebels get hoi' ob him if his legs 
kin kerry him out ob deir 
reach, I'd soonah die dan 
fall into de ban's ob de Con- 
fed'rits." 

" Well, Ned, we'll try to 
take care of you. But why 
do you make the coffee so 
hot } Whew ! it will never 
get cool enough in these tins 
to drink. If there is any 
region here or hereafter hot- 
ter than coffee in a tin cup, 
why, I hope I'll never get 
there, that's all." 

Ned went out into the 
kitchen part of the quarters 
muttering to himself, " How 
do you s'pose Ned kin boil de coffee widout makin' it hot ,? " 

When night came Jack was tired enough. He had fairly 
entered upon his duties, fixed up his tent, copied the papers 
assigned him, delivered the messages intrusted to him on several 
occasions by the major, and was ready to sleep when the buglers 
sounded tattoo. The wild, plaintive notes of their instruments 
sounding out into the air and reechoed from sky and river and 
canebrake ;" the crackling log fires surrounded by groups of 




NED, THE COOK. 



88 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

soldiers ; the lonL^ lines of snow-white tents stretching through 
the encampment ; the occasional song or hymn that came to his 
ears from different quarters of the grounds ; the regular step of 
the sentinel pacing his beat close by, sword in hand and scab- 
bard dangling and clattering after him on the earth at every 
turn ; the racket and hubbub that came at brief intervals from 
the corral where the horses and mules were pawing, kicking, 
neighing, braying, squealing — these were the confused sights and 
sounds that mingled in his mind with thoughts of home and 
mother and loved ones far away, and with speculation and won- 
derment as to the future, while the boy laid himself down on his 
bed of straw, pulled the blankets about him, and fell asleep. 

"Jaclc! Jack! Wake up ! The bugles have sounded half 
a dozen calls ; breakfast is ready ; everybody and everything 
is astir, and you are not out of bed yet. Hurry and dress 
yourself! " 

This was the first sound that penetrated the boy's ears next 
morning. He half opened his eyes, and in a stupid, bewildered 
sort of way gazed about, trying to realize where he was. As he 
slowly regained his senses and began to shake off the deep 
slumber that had held him in dreamless unconsciousness all 
night long, he saw the face of the major peering in through the 
parted curtains of his tent. 

"This is a slow way to commence soldiering ! Why, when 
the angel Gabriel sounds the last trump he will have to toot his 
horn the second liiiK- for )c)ur special ben^^fit. An)- boy who 
;an sleep right on through all lh(^ noise that has been made ever 
since five o'clock can't be stirred u[) at the resurrection day wiili 
only one horn blowing. Shake yourself (nit in a luirr\-, my boy, 
or you will miss breakfast." 

By this time Jack was roused effecluall)- ; lie felt as though 
he was ready to sign a pledge never to adventure himself asleep 



GLITTERING TINSEL. 



89 



again. After a hasty breakfast he was ordered to go out and 
spend an hour in saber exercise. He managed to learn at least 
the names of several of the movements of that weapon, and 
although his wrist was almost twisted out of joint by the time 
he was through with the task, yet he was glad that the words 
" moulinet," " guard," '' thrust," " right cut," and other like terms had 
now a real meaning for him. In the afternoon, when his writing 
work was done, he spent some time with the drill sergeant, who 
had been for some 
years in the regular 
army, and was on 
that account re- 
garded with peculiar 
respect. By him the 
boy was taught how 
to mount a horse, sit 
in the saddle, use the 
stirrups, wheel about, 
and dismount. He 
had plumed himself 

on knowing something about such matters before, but a feeling 
gradually crept over him during the instructions he was receiving 
that he had a good deal to learn in order to become expert and 
skillful as a horseman. 

He noticed that almost every hour was taken up in the camp 
with some kind of work. At one bugle call early in the day the 
parade ground was filled with squads of two or three men apiece 
practicing in the use of the saber or carbine. A while later each 
company by itself would go through with various exercises. In 
the afternoon the battalions would perform separate evolutions, 
and later the entire regiment was drilled together. Thus it 
seemed to him that it was nothinor but drill from morning till 




SABER-PRACTICE BY THE RAW RECRUIT. 



4U WllAl" A BOV SAW IN THE ARMY. 

night — drill, drill, everlasting drill ! He heard some of the men 
complaining of this, and listened to an officer giving a reply to 
their murmurs: "This is tiresome work, I know, boys; but you 
must not expect to have a play-spell in the army. The only way 
to keep men, as well as boys, out of mischief is to give them 
somethinji to do. Besides, we will soon be ordered over into 
Kentucky after the Johnnies, and if we venture into active serv- 
ice without knowing our duties we shall be used up the first 
brush we get into. You can't learn the manual of arms out on 
the skirmish line. If you do not find out how to handle the 
saber and carbine skillfully, and how to go through with these 
different movements with ease and readiness before you go into 
a battle, you will be badly beaten one of these days when of a 
sudden you are shoved into a hot nest of ' rebs.' The soldier 
who shows himself most ready and skilled and prompt will be 
the most likely man to be promoted into the first vacancy 
that occurs." 

In the evening Jack, by special favor of the major, was per- 
mitted to be present at a school of the officers of the battalion 
held to study cavalry tactics and the rules and regulations of the 
army. lie had sense enough to keep his mouth shut and listen 
attentively to the conversations and instructions of the evening. 
The major's Military Dictionary and some works on "the art of 
war" were also at his disposal, and in these he read at odd 
hours. And as he read he found out that war is not such a 
plain and easy and simple matter as some people at that time 
imagined. In common with perhaps a considerable number of 
his countrymen, old and young, he had in his unsophisticated in- 
nocence supposed this to be about all there was of it: 

I wo rows of men in handsome uniforms, abundantly striped 
with gold lace, decorated with any number of epaulets, feath- 
ers, and brass buttons, antl furnished with lots of guns, swords, 



GLITTERING TINSEL. 41 

cannon, and flags, in some way happen to arrive at precisely the 
same moment in a big open field, conveniently located for the 
purpose, one set on one side and the enemy on the other. At 
once, after arranging their lines, they fire at each other, and pro- 
ceed to cut off each other's heads miscellaneously for a while, and 
make a terrible noise, and by and by the whipped party runs 
away, and the others hurrah, and everybody says, " It's a great 
victory ! " 

The boy, for his part, received some light on the subject, 
soon making the discovery that an army has to be created and 
drilled and disciplined ; that it needs to be furnished with cloth- 
ing and food and arms and tools ; that it has to be taught how 
to build bridees and make roads — even railroads — and erect forts 
and use its various weapons with skill and self-possession and 
promptness. All this requires months of time. 

The review was a notable event in the boy's experience. The 
afternoon was clear and bracing, and in spite of the mud the 
occasion was full of interest and excitement. The whole morn- 
ing had been occupied in getting ready for the display. Boots 
were blackened, gloves were washed up white and clean, belt- 
plates were scoured, sabers and carbines were polished until they 
glittered like silver, and each company did its best to outshine 
its neighbor. At last the bugles sounded the " assembly," and the 
regiment formed into line, and then at the command, breaking 
into column, four men abreast, marched to the parade ground, a 
couple of miles away. 

Arriving at the ground, they saw the infantry regiments sta- 
tioned in line, their gleaming muskets resting with the butt of 
the weapon on the earth in the position called "order arms." 
Half a dozen batteries of artillery, some with bright fieldpieces 
of brass, and others with iron cannon, were at their posts, mak- 
ing a very threatening appearance. 



4'2 WHAi' A BUY SAW 1\ THE ARMY. 

W'luMi at last jack's regiment reached its place in the long 
line and had been properly formed, the boy eagerly took in the 
brilliant scene, and was captivated with the waving banners, the 
soundinor bugles, the exciting music of the bands, the handsome 
appearance of a multitude of richly dressed officers, the prancing 
steeds that seemed as proud as their riders, the flashing arms, all 
reflecting the bright rays of the sun. 

At the appointed hour the general commanding appeared 
with his staff Jack was near enough to Major Bowman to ask, 
" Which is General Grant } " 

" That quiet-looking man yonder, with closely trimmed 
brownish beard," was the answer. "The officer next him, with 
black beard, is Captain Rawlins, the assistant adjutant general." 

" But who is that dashing general off to the left with so many 
staff officers about him, and rigged out with epaulets and feathers 
and an elegant sword ? I thought surely that must be Grant. 
Why, he has the most splendid uniform of the whole party." 

" No," said the major, " that is General Blank. He is an old 
political trickster who has managed to get himself commissioned 
brigadier general. He knows no more about war than my horse 
Prince — not as much, indeed. But he is full of airs, and he puts 
on more style and affects more importance and military dignity 
than all the rest of the generals put together. He is only — " 

What the major was about to call General Blank can never 
be found out, lor in the midst of the sentcuice the command was 
shouted forth and repeated all along the line, " Present arms." 

At the word the banners all drooped low in the air, the 
bugles sounded a wild, shrill blast, the drummers beat a loud 
roll, the infantry presented arms, the cavalrymen brought their 
sabers to the front, making the j)roper salute; artillerists who 
had no sabers lifted their hands to the visor of their caps. 

In a few moments the whole cavalcade of greneral and staff 



GLITTERING TINSEL. 



43 



officers galloped down the line, making quite a flutter as they rode, 
and splashing the mud in all directions. When the retinue had 
returned to its place again the order was given, "Pass in review." 
At once the whole command of twenty thousand men or more 
wheeled into column and marched in front of General Grant and 
party. As the regiment was filing back to camp after it was 
all over, amid the music of bands and the booming of cannon, 
the boy said to himself, the beautiful vision still casting a magic 
spell over his soul : " What a grand thing it is to have a military 
command and exercise control overmen! How handsome these 
officers look in uniform ! The generals especially, how happy 
they must be, with their rank and big pay, with their honors and 
their sense of power ! What an honor it must be to be associated 
with them on staff duty, to be trusted by them and be on friendly 
and intimate terms with them ! O, how many things there are in 
the life of a soldier that are splendid and stirring and magnificent ! 
Somehow it takes right hold of a fellow and lifts him up until he 
feels as though he were flying through the air. My brain tingles 
all through with that display. Shakespeare must have been a 
soldier at some time in his life or he could not have pictured it 
all as he does. I never knew till now what he meant when he 
wrote of the ' pride, pomp, and circumstance of glorious war.' " 



^'^^ 




44 



\\n.\r A Bov SAW in the army. 



CHAPTER III. 



A HRIEF CAMPAIGN TAKES SOME OF THE SIIIXE OFF. 




HE night was dark and 

blustering. All day long it 

had rained ; and now sleet, 

snow, and drizzle mingled 

^r ,^^^BHB^^^SKi' •^ in the air and were driven 

hither and thither by the 
wild winds. The camp had 
settled down to rest, and the 
boy, listening to the whirl 
and confusion of the storm, 
was about to blow out his 
candle and go to sleep, 
when suddenly he heard in the; distance the splashing feet of a 
horse galloping through the mud. Into the gloom he heard the 
sentinel ring out his challenge, " Halt ! who goes there ?" 

The rider stopped and replied, " A messenger from Gen- 
eral (Grant's headquarters, with dispatches for Major Bowman. 
Where can I find him ?" 

'1 he sciury shouted, "Sergeant of tlic guard — post number 
three — dispatches from headquarters!" brom one to another of 
the line of guards this was repeated until it reached the sergeant 
at his post, who came at once to the spot. By this time Jack had 
hastily thrown some clothes on him and bounced from the tent, 
and called out," .Sergeant, 1 will take the message to the major." 



A BRIEF CAMPAIGN TAKES SOME OF THE SHINE OFF. 47 

In a moment he was rapping with haste and excitement on 
the tent-pole and rousing Major Bowman with the announcement 
that important news had come. That officer arose quickly, 
untied the folds of the tent curtains, and took the papers. Re- 
moving the envelopes, he signed his name upon each of them and 
handed them back, to be given to the orderly as the proper re- 
ceipt for the inclosures. Jack watched his uncle's face and saw it 
assume a serious look. 

" What is it, major ? " the boy asked, anxiously. 

" We are ordered to move at four o'clock to-morrow morn- 
ing," was the response ; and with the words he handed Jack to 
read the following order : 

" Headquarters Military District of Cairo, 
" January 8, 1862. 

''Special Orders, A"o. 5. 

" The Third Battalion, Fourth Illinois Cavalry, Major Bow- 
man commanding, will report for duty to Brigadier General 
Blank, and will continue with his brigade during the contem- 
plated movement of the army. 

" Major Bowman will see that his command is at the wharf 
and on board the steam transport Clio by five o'clock to-morrow 
morning. He will have his men supplied with five days' rations 
and forty rounds of ammunition apiece on their persons. He 
will take a sufficient number of wagons along to supply forage 
for the animals and additional ammunition enough to supply 
sixty rounds per man. The troops are to be but lightly equipped 
with camp equipage, as the movement must not be encumbered 
with a large wagon train. 

" By order of Brigadier General U. S. Grant, 

" Commanding District 

"John A. Rawlins, 

" Assistant Adjutant General." 



48 WHA'I' A nOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

"Jack," said the major, " call Adjutant Pike at once. Take 
this order to him, and tell him for me to issue the necessary 
directions to each of the company commanders. The men must 
be in line and ready to move at four o'clock in the morning to 
the very minute. This means business." 

The boy hurried off witli the message and came back to 
find the major at his desk writing a hasty note to his wife, 
"jack," he said, looking up as the boy entered the tent, " we 
cannot expect to get much sleep to-night. We have a good 
deal to do in order to make ready for this movement. I want 
you to pack up enough blankets to make us tolerably comfort- 
able, lock up these books, put away my clothes, and see that 
everything about my headquarters is ready at the right time." 

jack did all that could be done, scrawled a hurried letter to 
the friends at home, telling them what was going on, and then 
threw himself down on his bed and was soon asleep. It seemed 
to him that he had barely done so when the loud reveille 
sounded at three in the morning. The whole command was 
soon astir, the horses were fctl and saddled, the men drank tlu-ir 
coffee and swallowed their morning meal, packed their blankets, 
put on their overcoats, filled their haversacks with hard-tack and 
bacon, secured their portions of sugar and coffee, and at the hour 
assigned were mounted and in line. Everybody was cross, chilly, 
restive, and disagreeable. The sleet was still falling, and it was 
hardly possible to keep in any measure dry even with the he!]) 
and shelter of the rubber " poncho." The bugle sounded the 
order " Forward," and on into and through the darkness and 
mud and slush the horses went bearing their riders forth to 
rebeldom. 

The wharf in the vicinity of tlie transport presented a busy 
scene of bustle and confusion with army wagons rumbling to 
and fro, batteries of artillery struggling to get into position and 



A BRIEF CAMPAIGN TAKES SOME OF THE SHINE OFF. 49 

station themselves on the levee in a " park " until an opportunity 
to get on board should be furnished, teamsters swearing and 
whipping their mules, orderlies rushing with dispatches in every 
direction, infantry marching and then countermarching, horses 
eagerly and hungrily stamping and neighing, rain falling, steam 
puffing from the engines of the boats, bells ringing, whistles 
blowing, details of soldiers loading boxes of ammunition and 
provisions, and, withal, everybody shouting, yelling, pushing, 
pulling, all at once, "Where are we going?" was his inquiry 
of the major. 

The answer was in the form of a quotation : 

" Theirs not to make reply, 
Theirs not to reason why." 

The boy saw that if his uncle knew what direction the troops 
were to take he was not gfoinof to tell. He tried another tack: 
" How do you like the idea of being under the command of 
General Blank ? " 

" Not at all," was the gruff response ; " but I have to obey 
orders as long as I am in the service. For the time he is my 
superior, and my duty is to respect and obey him. I can do the 
one part of this task in some sort, I guess, but the other is out 
of the question. We shall see some rare work if we go into 
battle under his command. However, it is not worth while to 
indulge in gloomy forebodings before we are fairly started on 
our campaign. I will do the best that I can for my own com- 
mand, at any rate. Meanwhile we shall see what we shall see." 

It was noon before the troops were all on board the trans- 
ports and ready for the forward movement. Then came a 
tedious wait for orders, which lasted the rest of the day. Every- 
body wondered why the boats did not start and what was the 
matter, and nobody could, or at least nobody did, throw light 
on the question. The night came again, thick, murky, and wet, 



50 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

and as soon as the darkness had fairly settled down the steamers 
received orders to push out from the levee and drop down the 
river. 

" Why did we not start by daylight instead of waiting for 
the night to come ?" was Jack's inquiry as he stood on the deck 
with the major, watching the lights of the city of Cairo receding 
ami vanishino; in the distance behind them. 

" I cannot positively answer your question," was the reply, 
" but I think that one reason of the delay is that Cairo is full of 
rebel spies on the watch for news of our movements. If we had 
gone in the daytime they would have watched our course and 
their generals would have known our destination almost before 
we had reached it. On the other hand, I have learned that 
to-night the picket guard is doubled all around our line, and it 
will be impossible for anyone to get over into Dixie with news 
concerning our advance. Our movement may be a part of a 
general push along the whole western line. But it is idle to 
speculate about the matter now. We shall be wiser in the 
course of a week than we are to-night." 

" Do you think we shall get into a battle before we get 
back } " pursued the curious youth in quest of information. 

" I do not know any more about the matter than you do," 
replied the major. "It all depends. If we should find any 
rebels in our path, and they do not run away, and there is any 
fight in our boys, and the weather does not interfere, and all the 
other conditions are favorable, it seems to me within the limits 
of likelihood that we may have what Van calls a scrimmage 
before wc return. And that we may be ready for that possible 
event it behooves us to eo to bed." 

I he boy awoke before day next morning, and on going on 
deck found the lK)at tied up with the other transports of the 
fleet at a landing on the Kentucky side of the Mississippi River, 



A BRIEF CAMPAIGN TAKES SOME OF THE SHINE OFF. 51 

about midway between Cairo and Columbus, near the mouth of 
the Mayfield Creek. The troops were already getting ashore, 
and very soon orders came for the cavalry to disembark and take 
the head of the column. 

" Well," said Jack to himself, " if we go ahead we shall at least 
have the first sight of the rebels if there are any to be seen." 

An aid of General Blank at that moment came galloping up 
with orders to start at once, and march toward the interior from 
the river for about ten miles and then take the main road to 
Mayfield. The men and horses were both glad to put their 
feet on land once more, in spite of the rain and mud, and the 
column moved forward with spirit and life. Jack had an oppor- 
tunity to see the precautions that must be taken in an enemy's 
country on the march to avoid surprise. The most vigilant and 
cautious lieutenant in the battalion was ordered to take with 
him a sergeant and half a dozen men and assume the advance. 
His instructions were to keep about a quarter of a mile ahead 
of the rest, and if any rebels were discovered he was to fire off 
his pistol as a signal shot and send a man back at full speed 
with the news. A full company of cavalry came next, followed 
by a pioneer corps with axes, picks, and shovels. Then marched 
a couple of regiments of infantry, a battery of artillery, and the 
rest of the troops guarding the wagon train, with two companies 
of cavalry in the rear to close up the column and keep an eye 
on the crossroads. In addition, along the whole length of the 
column, on both sides of the road, at the distance of two or three 
hundred yards, a line of skirmishers marched to prevent a sudden 
attack from either flank. Jack watched with interest all these 
arrangements and precautions, and felt his pulse quicken with a 
vague sense of uncertainty and an apprehension that there was 
danger ahead, when the command was repeated by voice and 
bugle all along the line, " Fall in ! Forward — march !" 



52 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THP: ARMY. 

The country was level and finely wooded with oaks, elms, 
antl walnut trees of goodly size. Here and there appeared 
tracts which had been cleared and were now occupied as farms, 
and the soil seemed rich and fertile, but the buildings were — 
most of them, at least — old and tumble-down in appearance. 
One large and comfortable dwelling was the only one of its kind 
they saw that day; all the other human habitations were log 
cabins of the rudest and most primitive style. As they were 
riding along through the mud Jack inquired, " Major, what ails 
this region 7 If we had such a tract of land in Pennsylvania it 
would be thickly settled. Saw-mills would be at work in these 
splendid forests, and the houses would be fit to live in, and the 
fields would be covered with crops. What is the reason every- 
thing looks so dilapidated and forsaken } " 

The officer glanced sharply into the face of the boy, and 
with a look of surprise replied, "There is but one secret of this 
state of affairs, and an intelligent youth ought to know what that 
is without telling." 

"Slavery?" said Jack, inquiringly. 

" Nothing else," was the comment of the major. "This State 
is the equal, in fertility and in many natural advantages, of any 
commonwealth in the Union. It has coal and iron and timber 
in abundance, and many sections of the State are unrivaled for 
grazing purposes, while you can hardly find anywhere in the 
country a better soil for the growth of wheat and Indian corn. 
The climate is delightful. A man seeking comfort and health 
will find all the conditions filled right here. And then its com- 
mercial advantages are wonderful. Its rivers alone bring the 
heart of the State into easy and rapid conimunication with all 
the rest of the world. Its northern front is traversed by the 
Ohio ; along its wc^stern border runs that immense artery of 
trade, the Mississippi; while throughout the interior for hun- 



A BRIEF CAMPAIGN TAKES SOME OF THE SHINE OFF. 53 

dreds of miles flow two splendid rivers, navigable for a good 
portion of the year, the Kentucky and the Tennessee. With 
these advantages this region ought to be in the forefront of trade 
and overflowing with prosperity and business life. Yet you see 
a fair sample of the situation and condition of things in this sec- 
tion through which we are passing. Other sections, it is true, 
are more prosperous than this region immediately about us ; but 
nevertheless a blight rests on the whole State. A curse has 
paralyzed enterprise, checked commercial activity, deadened 
everything. Nature and Providence have done all that it is 
possible to do for any land in affording it such ample resources 
and opportunities. But all these advantages are wasted, clean 
thrown away, just so long as Negro slavery is revered and wor- 
shiped as the ' sacred institution.' " 

By this time the command had arrived at a point where the 
road forked, and the major detached a company of cavalry and 
ordered it out toward Paducah to reconnoiter. A couple of 
hours after they had passed this place the major called Jack to 
him and said : " I want you to ride back and follow after Captain 
Shepardson's company until you overtake it, and deliver him 
this message: If he has found no traces of any Confederate 
forces in the vicinity he may return and join us at our camp, 
wherever that may be, this evening. If there is any sign of the 
presence of the enemy you are to let me know as quick as possi- 
ble, while he guards the road and keeps them in check. Do you 
understand 7 " 

"Yes, sir, I will see that he gets the word," was the eager reply 
of the boy as he wheeled about and galloped down the road. He 
found at one point a battery stuck in the mud and the drivers 
doubling their teams on each cannon to pull it through the 
slough. A little farther back he came to the infantry regiments 
scattered along in the slushy roads trampling through the mire 



54 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

wearily enough under their loads of ammunition, knapsacks, and 
rations. In the middle of the column he saw the general in 
command of the brigade riding cheerfully and contentedly in 
apparent leisure and comfort. Nearer the rear was the wagon 
train, delayed by a broken bridge which the pioneer corps was 
trying to repair. Then came the rear guard, and at last Jack 
found himself alone. The troops had all marched toward the 
front. The whole command had passed by, and he had still sev- 
eral miles of country to traverse with which he was totally un- 
familiar, and which might contain some Confederate troops. He 
quickened his speed and urged Charley on at a rapid gallop. 
Soon he arrived at the turning-off place and struck away in the 
direction pursued by the company he was in search of He kept 
his eyes and ears open, and the sense of danger and the novelty 
and romance of the situation lent a strange fascination to it. 

After riding a couple of miles from the main road he hap- 
pened to look back, and as he did so he made a discovery : he 
was pursued. A cavalryman, who had just entered the road from 
a Ijypath that led through the woods in the distance, had caught 
sight of him and had struck in pursuit. Jack did not know ex- 
actly what to make of this, and, looking at his revolver, to make 
sure it was in shooting trim, and putting spurs to the horse, he 
rode more rapidly on. Glancing back, he found that the stranger 
was gaining on him. He saw, too, that the man was making 
signs to arrest attention, and. taking a closer look, he discovered 
that the pursuer was no other than Jim \'an Meter. 

The boy felt a little foolish as he halted and allowed Vnn to 
catch up. 

" \ ou thought I was a ' Johnny reb,' antl was going to eat you 
up, ncnv, didn't you ? " was Van's salutation. " I had a good laugh 
while you were running away. You sv.c Wit l)een out foraging. 
I\e laid in a couple of chickens and a roll of butter and a j)ie 



A BRIEF CAMPAIGN TAKES SOME OF THE SHINE OFF. 55 

and some corn bread and lots of good things. See here " — point- 
ing to his overweighted haversack of provisions and to the fowls 
strung- over the neck of his horse — " I believe in livin' on the fat 
of the land as long as you can git the fat from the rebs." 

"Where did you get all that stuff? What did you have to 
pay for it?" said Jack. 

" Pay ! That's a good one ! Who's goin' to pay for vittles in 
Dixie ? I believe in the doctrine that the country owes us a livin', 
and as long as I'm soldierin' I'm goin' to have it, one way or 
another." 

" Why, Van, you didn't steal that provender, did you ? " in- 
quired the boy, with some anxiety. 

"Steal? What d'ye take me for, boy? I'd scorn to do 
such a act. I cramped it ; confiscated it ; tuk possession of it as 
the property of the enemy ; condemned it as contraband of war; 
held an inquest over it and ordered it to be seized and used by 
the forces of the United States ; and then tuk it under my pro- 
tection as one of the duly app'inted agents of the guv'ment. And 
look 'ere, my canteen's full likewise. I found some of our boys 
guttin' a corner grocery store down at the crossroads. They'd 
rolled out a bar'l o' Bourbon into the road and knocked in the 
head and was a dippin' into it pretty free and eager ; and I was 
a helpin' myself too, when, lo and behold, along comes one of 
the officers of the staff, and he sees what was goin' on, and he 
clears 'em all out mighty quick. xAnd now give an account of 
yourself. Why aren't you with the battalion ? What in Hail 
Columbia are you doin' 'way out here ? " 

" I'm taking a message to Captain Shepardson. Will you go 
too?" 

"Yes, come along. Let's hurry up ; for I do not want to be 
caught at night on this road so far from the rest of the troops." 

By this time they had arrived at the top of a hill from wnich 



56 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

the country for miles around could be seen. Away ahead they 
caught a glimpse, apparently, of the men they were in pursuit of. 
No signs of the enemy were to be discovered anywhere. But 
few natives were visible, and these did not have anything to say 
unless they were accosted. Suddenly, while they were pacing 
along at a rapid gait, Van stopped and said, " Hold my horse. 
I've found somethin' wuth looking after." And dismounting 
he picked up a handsome new revolver, and, examining it care- 
fully, put it in his pocket. They had scarcely resumed their ride 
before a picket guard caught up with them, anxiously scanning 
the ground and eagerly looking for something. He saluted the 
two with the words: " Say, comrades, ye didn't see a new revol- 
ver along here, did ye 7 Mine dropped out of my holster some- 
where on this road this afternoon, and I'll be hanged if I can find 
it. I've been searchin' for it high and low for more than an hour. 
I wouldn't 'a' lost it for a twenty-dollar gold piece." 

And while he spoke he looked all about the ground near by 
in search of the missing weapon. 

" Whar was you when you dropped it ? Mebbe you didn't 
have it with you this trip. What sort of a lookin' pistol was it .f^ 
It's a pity to lose a good revolver. It's a thing wuth havin' in 
this country of rebs." This series of mingled comments and 
questions Van uttered coolly, but with some show of sympathy, 
as he pretended to aid the man in looking for the pistol. In a 
moment or two the latter went on, greatly troubled on account of 
his loss. 

The boy was shocked. He had been brought up to believe 
in some old-fashioned notions, among which was the doctrine 
that it is wrong to steal. He was so inexperienced and unso- 
phisticated that he did not know that a man may be strictly 
honest, and highly respectable, and a very proper sort of a gen- 
tleman, and have a good name in society, and yet steal, if he only 



A BRIEF CAMPAIGN TAKES SOME OF THE SHINE OFF. 57 

call the act by some less offensive name. It is the word " steal " 
or " thief " that hurts, oftentimes, more than the deed or the 
character thus described, If these bad names can be put out of 
sight people may take the property of somebody else and escape 
all blame. The act may be styled going into bankruptcy, or get- 
ting up a corner in stocks, or organizing an oil company, or dis- 
covering a gold mine, or getting somebody to become one's bail, 
or confiscating the goods of an enemy, or finding things — any 
one of these terms will serve the purpose. The boy, I say, was 
not educated in these new ideas, and hence he was shocked. 

We will agree that it is mighty uncomfortable for a boy to 
have such old-fashioned notions. They often come up in his 
thoughts just at the nick of time when but for them he might 
make some money, or enjoy some sort of pleasure, or keep posses- 
sion of property that has by some unlooked-for chance fallen into 
his hands. Then, without warning and in a way that cannot easily 
be overlooked, these old-fashioned instructions begin to clamor 
and threaten and rankle and make all manner of inward disturb- 
ancig ; and of course one's peace of mind is destroyed. It is a 
troublesome thing, in short, to have what is called a conscience 
coming in every little while to interfere with one's plans and 
pleasures. If this clamorous organ could by some means be 
thoroughly abolished and effectually put out of the way boys 
and men could act out all sorts of mischief and enter into all 
manner of adventures and, in fact, do whatever they wished, 
without experiencing any of the inconveniences that happen to 
a fellow now if he does not mind what his conscience tells him 
to do. Some very unpleasant — indeed, one would be justified 
in sdiy'ing painful — consequences often follow when this everlast- 
ing busybody, the conscience, sets up to act as a general com- 
mittee of investigation upon our deeds and then proceeds to 
execute her peculiar penalties. I believe that the effort has 



58 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

been made at times to kill the conscience, but the experiment 
is attended with some risk, and is understood not to have been 
a perfect success. 

Another characteristic prank of the conscience is that it is 
perpetually interfering with its neighbor conscience. It will not 
stay quietly on its own premises, but is ever trying to invade 
some one's domain next door. It is not satisfied to go on and 
command and forbid and advise and scold and punish the fellow 
that it belongs to, but it insists on having its say often to some- 
body else. And on this particular occasion this was the whim 
that came over the boy's conscience. If he had just reflected a 
moment he might have said to himself: " This is not any of my 
business, and I will have nothing to do with it. I did not take 
the man's revolver. I do not really know that Van has it. The 
one he picked up may belong to another man altogether. Be- 
sides, I cannot make myself the guardian angel of careless sol- 
diers who go through an enemy's country losing their weapons. 
If he did lose this particular pistol, then very likely the most 
valuable lesson that can be taught him is to suffer him to bear 
the loss. Why should I interfere in the matter } Let provi- 
dential events follow their due course." 

And then, afterward, he and Van could have sold the pistol 
for fifteen or twenty dollars, dividing the proceeds, and they 
wouUl hav(; been just that much richer in worldly goods. That 
would have been the thrifty way of doing the business. 

Hut, as I started out to say, this boy's conscience was fussy, 
officious, and of a meddlesome disposition. In this pcirticular 
case it was not satisfied to assume authority over the boy and 
his conduct alone, but it was impudent enough to try to inter- 
fere with Van's plans and speculations. So, acting out the 
impulses of his crotchety faculty within. Jack looked into the 
face of his companion and, in a tone whicli showccl how horrified 










»?'V;prpw 



A BRIEF CAMPAIGN TAKES SOME OP^ THE SHINE OFF. 61 

he was, said, " Why, Van, you are not going to keep the fellow's 
pistol, are you ? " 

Van looked sheepish and crestfallen. He was a big, strap- 
ping, muscular chap, who could have whipped Jack and six 
others like him all in a pile. Yet at this question he colored 
and then grew pale ; he shrugged his shoulders and wriggled 
uneasily in his saddle, and at last stopped his horse and yelled 
to the fast-receding trooper : " Here, old fellow, is your revolver! 
It'll be a lesson to you, I hope, not to be so careless with it in 
the future. You'd 'a' had to pay for it next payday, and that 
would 'a' been a nice hole in your pile. Better take care of 
these 'ere weapons that Uncle Sam gives you, my crony. The 
next comrade as finds it won't be as kind to you as I've been. 
Now take it and skedaddle as fast as you can, or you'll not get 
to your regiment again afore night." 

The rejoicing man overflowed with thanks, made an offer of 
money as a reward for finding the pistol— which, to Van's credit 
be it recorded, was refused — and then galloped away. 

The subject was not again referred to by either of them, 
except that Van remarked, in a tone of injured innocence, " I 
wanted to teach him a lesson as he'd remember." 

He afterward said that it was the tone and look of the boy 
that " fetched " him. He remarked, in alluding to the incident, 
" I never felt so mean in my life. I couldn't stand them inno- 
cent eyes o' his'n starin' at me in a wonderin' and accusin' kind 
o' way. So I handed over the six-shooter, and I'm that much 
poorer by the operation." 

Delivering the message to Captain Shepardson, the two 
hastened back to the road which they had left, and followed 
hard after the advancing column. With all their haste it was 
night before they could overtake it, coming about dark to an 
open space on a gentle slope, where they found the artillery 



62 WHAT A BOV SAW IN THE ARMY. 

parked, the wagon trains arranged in order, and the men going 
into camp. 

" Where's the cavalry to camp, captain }" Van asked of one 
of the staff. 

" Somewhere about here, I guess. I'll ask the general," was 
the reply ; and soon the word was brought that they had been 
sent for to come back from the head of the column and would 
be in by and by. After waiting an hour Jack and his companion 
ventured ahead to meet them. They found them, long after 
night had set in, still in the dark and mud, a couple of miles from 
camp, and showed them to their bivouac. 

The major was effervescent with indignation and wrath at 
the way in which things had been conducted as to the camping" 
arrangements of the troops, and he let out his feelings to Jack 
when the latter appeared : "This is just what I expected when 
we began this movement. Here was a column of troops 
stretched out over six or eight miles of territory. The lofty 
militar)^ genius who presides over its destinies rides with his 
staff safely and comfortably in the center of the column. 
Wlu:n nightfall comes he looks about him for a convenient 
camping ground, and when he comes to one that strikes his fancy 
he selects it, orders the tents to be put up, and sends ahead 
five or six miles for the troops that have been in the advance 
all day to come back and settle down for the night. Confound 
such stupidity and mismanagement! If the man had an ounce 
of common gumption, l(;t alone any military knowledge, he 
would have sent one of his staff to ride with me at the front all 
day. We could have selected the proper place, and then as 
each part of the command arrived it could have gone into camp 
by daylight. As it is our horses are tired and hungry, the in- 
fantry have had to march and countermarch five miles more 
than ihcrr: was any reason for, we have come into camp in the 



A BRIEF CAMPAIGN TAKES SOME OF THE SHINE OFF. 63 

darkness, and before we do anything toward getting a bite to 
eat for ourselves or animals we must send out a party to picket 
the roads in the neighborhood. I pity the men. They are not 
to blame, and yet they are the ones who suffer," 

The battalion was ordered to take position on the higher 
part of the hill just in the edge of the woods that crowned the 
slope. It was amazing to find how, in spite of the discomforts 
and inconveniences of the situation, the men soon made them- 
selves tolerably comfortable. The ground was soaked with 
water and covered with a light scum of snow, and yet, when the 
fires were kindled and the indispensable and blessed coffee was 
made, and the pork began to sizzle in the pans, and the beef was 
broiled on the coals, it was remarkable how cheerful everybody 
ofrew. 

Jack ran into a Negro cabin near headquarters to find out 
what the inmates had to eat. He learned that the old "auntie" 
in charge could make hoecake at short notice. He ordered 
enough for half a dozen, and watched her making preparations 
to bake it. Seeing it in a few moments spread out on the hot 
hearth, he went back to camp and found supper almost ready. 
Telling them of the treasure he had discovered, he ran and 
brought the cake. It was made of the meal from the white 
Kentucky flint corn, now common all over the country, but at 
that time rare in the Eastern States. As Jack spread the cake 
with some of Van's confiscated butter, and ate his fried bacon, 
and enjoyed his beefsteak he thought he had never in all his 
life before tasted such a delicious meal. Then, spreading his 
rubber blanket on the wet and snow-covered ground, he made 
his bed. The rain had ceased and the stars shone out clear and 
bright, and from where the boy had unrolled his blankets he 
could look down over the whole encampment. The smoldering 
camp-fires, gleaming all over the hillside, the dark woods in 



64 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

the rear, from wliich even now there might be peering the vigi- 
lant eyes of a rebel host ready to pounce down on the Union 
forces at dead of night and take them by surprise, the cordon of 
sentries round the camp, the bugles sounding tattoo — all this 
graduall)- and indistinctl\- mingled with the visions of dreamland 
as the boy, tired out and drowsy, took a speedy departure for the 
dominions of Xod. 

The next day, and the next, and the next, through the mud 
and snow and slush, the march was continued. No rebels were 
to be found except some pickets in the distance. The whole 
campaign seemed aimless and vague. Everybody asked the 
conundrum, "What is General Blank driving at.?" and, after 
pondering jt carefully, everybody " gave it up." Finally, after 
running around loose in Dixie for a week or more, they all 
returned to Cairo. 

" What does all this mean ? " was the question of the per- 
plexed boy to the major on their return. 

"The King of Fiance with twice ten thousand men, 
Marched up the hill — and then marched down again !" 

was the reply of that officer; and then he continued his com- 
ments : " You see, my boy, that we have a precedent almost 
classical in its character for this campaign. General Blank is 
not the first distinguished genius to accomplish such an under- 
taking. But, seriously, you will find in a few days that this cam- 
paign was not for nothing. I take it to have been a feint. The 
line of battle out here is very long. Halleck is at work some- 
where. I'or some reason or other he wants to draw the rebels to 
defend Columbus. Hence this feint. You know an expert boxer 
will make a seemingly desperate lunge at the chest of his antag- 
onist, who, while parrying the expected blow, receives instead a 
stunner on the nose. This is the game of (;xperts in war also. 
Halleck, who has command of all this western territor)-, has, I 



A BRIEF CAMPAIGN TAKES SOME OF THE SHINE OFF. 65 

think, been simply pretending to attack Columbus, but all the 
time his real aim has been to deliver a tremendous blow at 
some point along the Tennessee or Cumberland. If the rebels 
have been induced to reinforce their threatened strongholds on 
the Mississippi, and withdraw troops for that purpose from the 
regions east of those places, they have been playing directly into 
our hands." 

In a few days the news reached the troops at Cairo that 
General Thomas had won a notable victory over the Confeder- 
ates at Mill Springs, Ky., — an announcement which threw light 
upon the seemingly aimless and fruitless march against Colum- 
bus, which we have just had a glimpse and a taste of in this story. 
This latter campaign was clearly intended to keep the Confed- 
erates from reinforcing the troops which Thomas was about to 
attack in eastern Kentucky. 




bd WlIAl A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 



CHAPTER IV. 

SIGHT-SKKIXG AT FORT DONELSON ON PRIVATE ACCOUNT. 



\:Ml 




J^J^URRAH, boys, Grant has captured Fort 

Henry, and we are ordered to advance up 

\\^^ the Cumberland River at once 

acrainst Fort Donelson ! " was the 

salutation that electrified the 



, w'fW jhj!«^^V-^*.: T- Fourth Illinois Cavalry one 

"^/ ^, it^i*^,^ -'^'V^ mornincr soon after its re- 

turn from the expedition 

into Kentucky, recorded in 

"'^^^i'^. . ^- /'■'';• f,"- '' the last chapter. These twin forts, 

built by the Confederates to com- 
mantl the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers, and to protect the 
railroads which lay south of the fortified points, had been coveted 
for months by Halleck and Grant; one of them had already 
fallen, and the other was doomed. The boys received the news 
with L,dadness, and rejoiced at the prospect of seeing active serv- 
ice in th(! field and the opportunity of pushing into the South. 

Instead ot leaving Cairo for an expedition of only a few days, 
th(.' troops W(;re ordered to break up camp there altogether and 
proceed to the front. There would be no longer any opportu- 
nity to go into town and purchase delicacies and luxuries not 
issuiid by the commissary department. All chances for the boys 
to slip off from duty for a day or a night and spend the time in 
seeing the sights and tasting the amusements and sharing the 
dissipations of the so-called citv of Cairo were at an end. Active 



SIGHT-SEEING AT FORT DONELSON. 67 

service in the field, an advance through the land occupied, 
guarded, and fortified by the Confederates, a forward movement 
into the South, not now as a feint but in earnest — all this was 
clearly seen to await the troops. In a short time they tore down 
their tents, stored all the equipage that could not be taken along, 
and then reported for transportation to the officer in charge of 
that branch of the service. A fleet of gunboats and mortar 
boats accompanied the expedition. These iron-plated monsters 
were novel sights to Jack. Most of them had been hastily built 
by altering small river steamers, cutting down their decks, and 
plating them over with iron. A few new vessels had been con- 
structed as an experiment, and they looked like old-fashioned 
arks or barges roofed over and armored throughout with metal 
plates. The huge mortars were studied with a good deal of 
curiosity, each one occupying an open boat by itself, while 
around it were piled the great shells by and by to be thrown 
into the enemy's ranks. The unsophisticated boy examined 
them all with interest, wondering what sort of a dreadful noise 
the explosion of both would make, and even eagerly anxious for 
the hour of battle to come, so that he might see and hear the 
awful-looking weapons in actual use. 

At last the expedition was ready to start. The array of 
steamers of all sorts and sizes, the fleet of gunboats, the parade 
of the troops as they marched to the levee and embarked on the 
transports, already laden with ammunition and provisions, the 
final good-bye to Cairo, and the start on the journey are still 
vivid pictures in the memory of the survivors of that command. 

Up the Ohio to Smithland the boats directed their course, 
while the soldiers crowded the decks, scanning the low shores of 
the river, now lined with farms and now guarded by bluffs. 
Then the Cumberland River was entered, and from that time the 
interest and even the pleasure of the trip were enhanced by the 



68 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

additional spice of danger which the possible presence of the foe 
imparted. The expedition was on the edge of an enemy's coun- 
try ; the banks at any point might conceal hostile pickets, while 
at any stage of their course a volley of musketry or a cannon 
shot might be expected from the bluffs. No one knew exactly 
what to look for, and hence all were on the qui vivc, in suspense, 
vigilant night and day. 

It was a cold, snowy morning — the 13th of February, 1862 — 
when the cavalry landed near Fort Donelson. At once they 
were sent out to picket the roads. The region about the fort 
was thickly wooded and quite rough. In such a country only 
infantry and artillery could be used in a battle, so that the cav- 
alry had simply to await orders and keep a sharp lookout on the 
surrounding district and guard the roads in every direction. 
Rugged hills, dense forests, and high bluffs were the marked 
features of the landscape. Through these thickets and up the 
wooded heights only foot soldiers could make their way. 

When the regiment arrived the skirmishing had already com- 
menced, and all around the line an occasional rattling fire was 
going on. Fresh troops, however, were on the way, and no gen- 
eral attack was desired until these should arrive. 

As the cavalry had no actual work except picket duty as- 
signed them, and Jack was curious to see what was going on and 
investigate matters for himself, he started out with Charley, the 
bugler, on a little private exploring expedition, in the effort to 
get a glimpse of the line of battle as it ran through the woods 
and over the hills around the fort for several miles. Startine 
out from the boat on which the headquarters were established 
and near which the regiment was encamped, they climbed a hill 
covered with undergrowth and dense with scrub oaks. Here 
they found some infantrymen throwing up earthworks and 
^-I'J-^^'Jrii; intrenchments. Stopping to talk a while and take ol> 



SIGHT-SEEING AT FORT DONELSON. 69 

servations, Jack asked a burly soldier from Iowa, "What's the 
latest news you have this afternoon from the front ? " 

The man ceased his work and said dryly, " The Johnnies 
are looking around to find a hole big enough to crawl out of, 
and they cannot discover any." 

" How do you know?" said Charley. 

"We just captured one of their pickets. Do you see the poor 
grayback yonder at the foot of the tree .-^ He's tired out with 
poor rations, long and hard marching, and constant activity. He 
was at Fort Henry last week, and escaped from there when 
Admiral Foote bombarded the place, and came over here with 
several thousand others, under Colonel Heiman, and this morn- 
ing he ventured out a little too far and our boys nabbed him." 

The youthful explorers went up to the prisoner and said : 

"Good morning. How are your folks coming on over yon- 
der.^" — pointing in the direction of the fort. 

The captured man was a wretched-looking object, to be 
sure, and clearly not a typical Confederate soldier. He was evi- 
dently a representative of the lower class of whites in the South, 
the crackers, or "poor white trash." Tired, hungry, scrawny, 
and thin, he was wrapped in a ragged blanket, and chewing, 
with as much vigor as his constitution permitted, a big quid 
of tobacco. While he shivered with the cold at the foot of the 
tree an Illinois trooper stood guard over him, this part of the 
performance seeming, however, to be needless, for the man did not 
appear to have strength enough in his frame to allow of his run- 
ning very far or fast. He looked up at the salutation and drawled 
out in answer to the question, " O, right smart, I reckon. We 
uns haven't got much to eat, and its hard to fight without 
suthin' besides hard bread and rye coffee. I dunno what we'd 
'a' done if it hadn't been fur our terbacker. That's been more'n 
meat and drink sometimes." 



70 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

"How many soldiers have you over there?" 

" O, right smart chance of 'em altogether. I heerd some on 
'em say that the Yanks was sure to be licked this time, we had 
so many in our army. But then, agin, I heerd some say this 
mornin' as there was talk of our gittin' out of this afore long." 

The boys shared the contents of their haversacks with the 
prisoner and went on, wondering if he were a fair specimen of 
the Southern soldier. They had a good view of the rebel works 
at the next opening. The Confederate sharpshooters were try- 
ing to keep the Union men from planting a battery. Once in a 
while a bullet had come into the midst of the detail of men who 
were assigned to the task of putting the guns in position. Some 
of them had already been wounded, but there appeared no enemy 
in sight. The battery was on the brow of a gentle knoll in the 
edge of the woods. In front of it was a deep ravine, on the other 
side of which were the rebel works. Their side of the hill was 
covered with little pits dug out as a shelter for riflemen. In a 
zigzag course were to be seen several lines of fortifications, some 
made of logs, others of bags of sand, others of sheaves of brush 
and sharp sticks, the pickets standing out and pointing toward 
the besiegers. At the top of the hill was a line of cannon, their 
gaping throats, black and threatening, all ready to send out fire 
and death. 

The boys stood quite a while in the woods and looked about 
over the scene. Their thought was on this wise: " How can 
General Grant expect men to charge such strong works as these.? 
it is not possible lor any force to take them. Even if our men 
should be brave enough to come out of the woods and advance 
down this hill into the ravine and try to climb the slope on the 
other side they could not climb over those fortifications. They 
would be stopped by the trees that are cut down yonder. They 
would only run into the sharp branches and get entangled in 



SIGHT-SEEING AT FORT DONELSON. 71 

them. There seems to be no place where they can get through; 
and all the while the rebels would be pouring into them a dread- 
ful fire of shot and shell. It will be a fearful scene here if 
Grant orders an attack." 

While the boys thus watched the strong works they ventured 
forth from the woods to get a better view, not noticing that they 
were exposing themselves to the observation of the enemy. The 
first intimation they had of that fact consisted in a peculiar 
sound which can never be forgotten by any one who has ever 
heard it. It is like no other sound in the world. It makes an 
impression on the ear and on the nerves which hardly anything 
else does. It is a whistle and a whine, a hiss and a rattle, alto- 
gether, and it ends with a " thud " that is striking and peculiar 
too. This sound, coming close to their ears, startled them so 
that they jumped, and both exclaimed at once, "What's that?" 

At this instant the officer in charge of the building of the 
fortifications noted them and angrily cried out, "Get out of that, 
you young rascals. You'll get a bullet through your head before 
you know where you are. Don't you know any better than to 
venture out in front of the embankment } What are you doing 
here ? " 

The youths by this time were safely hidden from the view of 
the sharpshooters, just beginning to realize the danger of being 
at the very front. One of them replied, " Captain, we are just 
lookine around to find out what is Qroins^ on. We were curious 
to see the two lines of battle. We did not see any rebels over 
there, and did not know that it was a risky thing to stand out 
yonder." 

" You young fools," said the officer, " do you expect that the 
rebels are oroino- to come outside their breastworks and lift their 
hats and say,' Good morning, gentlemen, we give you fair notice 
that we are about to open fire on you, and if you want to keep 



72 WHAT A BOY SAW Ix\ THE ARMY. 

your hides free from bullet-holes you'd better remain under shel- 
ter ? ' Didn't see any rebels, indeed ! Clear out and join your reg- 
iment, or I'll arrest you for straggling." 

This rebuff threw a damper on their taste for exploration, 
but they were not satisfied yet, and when they had passed out of 
sight of the officer they tried to penetrate further along the line, 
but found pickets and guards stationed to prevent men from 
passinsj;- from one command to another, and they had to content 
themselves by turning back to the river. 

That evening Jack saw for the first time men who had been 
wounded in battle. The boat on which the regiment had come 
up tlie river was now turned into a hospital. Just after supper 
the boy noticed a commotion in the cabin, and, pressing through 
the crowd of soldiers, he found out what was the cause of it. A 
couple of wounded men had just been brought in from the 
picket line to be examined and attended to by the surgeon. 
The latter appeared a little nervous, as he had never before 
dressed a gunshot wound, but in a moment he showed no signs 
of hesitation or shakiness. He summoned the first one to his 
side at the operating table. The man had been shot in the hand, 
his middle finger being torn away and the bones connected with 
it badly crushed. His clothing was covered with blood and his 
face was pale from the long walk he had taken since he had 
received his wound. Jack felt a cold chill run up and down his 
backbone as he saw the ugly sight and looked at the case of 
instruments King in view on tlie table ready for use. 

" Do you want me to give you anything before the opera- 
tion ^ " said the surgeon to the patient. 

" What do you mean ? " asked the latter. 

" .Shall I give you ether or chloroform while I dress your 
wound?" ex|)lained the doctor. 

" I low long will it take you to put me through .? " 



SIGHT-SEEING AT FORT DONELSON. 73 

" About ten minutes," was the reply. 

" Well, then, fire away ; I guess I can stand it," said the man, 
coolly, as he gritted his teeth and compressed his lips and braced 
himself up to endure the operation. 

The surgeon, noticing that he was chilled and worn out from 
exposure and pain and by the long walk he had taken from the 
picket line to the hospital, made the man drink a glass of 
liquor to nerve him up for the task. Then he took his knife 
and began to cut into the torn and bleeding flesh, which he 
trimmed away neatly, exposing the crushed bone. Jack watched 
him till he saw the nippers at work cutting off the bones of the" 
broken finger and the saw doing its harsh work among the 
larger ones of the hand ; and just then he felt a strange sensation 
of numbness creeping over him. The blood seemed to leave 
his heart and then rush violently into it again. An attack of 
dizziness made his head swim, and a nauseating feeling disturbed 
his stomach. The wounded man, the surgeon, the furniture of 
the saloon of the steamer where they were gathered, the spec- 
tators, all seemed to mingle in mad confusion. It appeared as 
if they were all having a crazy dance together. Conquering the 
faintness by a convulsive effort, he turned quickly away from the 
scene and rushed out on deck and into the fresh air, which soon 
revived him. But to this day — although the boy afterward saw 
thousands of wounded men, many of them mangled and torn 
far worse than this one — that first soldier, brought in from the 
front at Fort Donelson with his torn and bleeding hand and 
operated on by the surgeon, is vividly stamped on his memory. 

That night the gunboats all arrived, anchoring a couple of 
miles below the fort. Next day, February 14, early in the after- 
noon, they slowly steamed up toward the line of fortifications 
called the water batteries, situated on the river bank. Jack had 
no task on hand, and his curiosity was not yet fully satisfied. 



74 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

He therefore concluded to walk up the stream, keeping abreast 
of the boats so as to watch their movements. By and by he 
came to a turn in the river, and, looking ahead, he saw about a 
mile distant in his front the lower batteries of the Confederates, 
and higher up on the bluffs the frowning guns of the upper 
works. 

While he stopped and gazed on the scene the gunboats care- 
fully steamed around the bend and maneuvered into position. 
Before they were ready to commence operations Jack noticed a 
puff of smoke appear at a certain point in one of the embank- 
ments. In a moment afterward he heard a boom and a terrible 
screech which filled the air, sounding like the wail of a human 
being in awful agony, or like the yell of a fiend in torment. In 
the midst of the impression made upon him by the sound he 
saw the air filled with pieces of shell just over one of the gun- 
boats, and then he knew what had happened. The rebels had 
opened fire on the fleet, and this was their first bomb ! 

The boy had hardly time to draw his breath before the 
leading boat returned the fire, that boat being the S/. Louis, 
under Flag Officer Foote, who had charge of all the naval forces 
in the Western waters, and who had captured I'ort Flenry without 
waiting for the army to cooperate in the attack, on board. This 
heroic spirit was leading off in the present attack, and now it 
was under his personal direction that the first shot was fired 
from his flagship against the water batteries. In a moment the 
Louisville also was in action, and then the other ironclads of 
the Heet, the CaroTidclct antl the Pittsburgh, followed at some 
distance down stream by tlie wooden gunboats, the Tyler and 
the Co7icstoga. 

The stream was not very wide, and the boy, from his perch 
on the bank, as he walked along, keeping abreast of the leading 
boats, could look right into the faces of the gunners as they han- 



SIGHT-SEEING AT FORT DONELSON. 



75 



died the great black cannon. He saw the air filled with smoke, 
he heard the scream of the shell as it flew through the half 
mile of distance between the boat and the batteries, and then 
he could see it explode right over the rebel guns. He could not 
tell what effect had been wrought by it, of course, but he saw 
that at once the whole line of cannon on the side of the enemy 




GUNBOAT ASSAULT ON FORT DOXELSOX. 



opened fire. The fleet — a half dozen boats, large and small — • 
were during this time coming into position, one by one wheeling 
about so as to get into range with the fort, all the while advanc- 
ing. When each arrived at the proper post it delivered its fire 
and then circled around to reload and give the other boats 
opportunity to deliver their broadsides. Once in awhile a solid 
shot from the fort would strike an iron-plated ship, make a deep 
dent in its armor, and then glance off with a terrific splashing 



7H WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

into the water. Then a shell would burst just over the deck, 
sending'- a perfect storm of iron hailstones down on the metal 
plates. Many times the boy watched a ball ricochet in the water, 
touching the surface ten or twenty times before finally sinking in 
the waves, bringing to mind the occasions when he had often 
made pebbles skip in a similar way across a milldam. 

The whole scene was full of fascination. Once in a while the 
shells would come dangerously near to w^here the boy was stand- 
ing, but none of them happened to hit him, and he grew accus- 
tomed to it all, forgetting the peril in the excitement of the bat- 
tle. He had the rare opportunity of watching a gunboat fight 
without taking any part in it. His frame quivered with a thrill 
of excitement as he watched the preparations made at the fort for 
hoisting new guns into the place of those which had been dis- 
abled, as he noted a shell burst in the midst of a crowd of the 
combatants there, or as a shot would come skipping across the 
water perilously near to him on the bank, or as a bomb would 
burst in the very air over his head and send its pieces flying in 
all directions. 

In the very height of the engagement he saw a well-aimed 
bombshell of the foe enter the porthole of the Carondelet, explod- 
ing just within the opening,dismantling a cannon and wounding a 
dozen or more men. Through the din and confusion of the con- 
flict there could be distino-uished the officers' voices Cfivino- com- 

o o o 

mand to the gunners, the cries of the wounded, and the battering 
and hamnKrring of the detail of men who at once were set to 
work to clear away the wreck wliich had been made by the 
shells, so as to get tht; decks ready for action again. Thick 
and fast came the shot and bonibs from the batteries, crashing on 
the iron plate, skipping across the waves, going clean through 
lh(; smokejiipes, tearing down tht: I'igging ; but still the plucky 
Commodore Foote kept his llagship, the Si. Louis, in the fore- 



SIGHT-SEEING AT FORT DONELSON. 77 

front of the fight, and kept signaHng to the others what to do. 
He had been severely wounded in the ankle, but he would not 
leave the field without doing all that he, with his fleet, might 
achieve toward capturing the fort. 

After an hour and a half of this sort of work a couple of the 
boats, the flagship SL Louis and the Louisville, were noticed to 
be in trouble. They could not come up to the scratch at the 
proper time. They moved wildly and falteringly hither and 
thither, and it was seen that the officers could not manage them. 
The signals soon told the fleet what was wrong; the steering 
apparatus of both boats was out of gear, the pilot house of the 
St. Louis had been almost destroyed by round shot, and the 
machinery injured so that the ships could not be maneuvered ; 
they would not obey the helm, and soon began to drift helplessly 
down the stream. The loss of these two disabled ships so weak- 
ened the fleet that it was soon found necessary to suspend the 
gunboat attack. That battle, however, between the guns of 
Fort Donelson and the agile, gallant, armored vessels of Flag 
Officer Foote, never to be forgotten by the nation, made a pic- 
ture that will hardly fade from the memory of the boy, who stood 
on the bank that wintry day, heard the awful cannonade, listened 
to the shouting, and watched the varying stages of the fight. 

One issue was decided by this engagement: Fort Donelson 
could not be taken, as Fort Henry had been, by an attack on 
the waterfront by the fleet. It would need more than a mere 
bombardment by cannon and mortar to conquer and capture it. 
The land forces would have to try their powers at it. The 
works would have to be stormed by the infantry. 

That night was a busy time for everybody. It was generally 
understood that an attack was to be made upon the fortifications 
from the landward side, and all knew that it would be an affair 
of seventy and blood. The lines were all arranged, the troops 



78 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

stationed, the roads picketed, and all the preparations com- 
pleted. 

Next morning the army was startled by heavy firing in the 
woods at a certain point where a road led off in the direction of 
Nashville. Word came to General Grant, " The rebels are try- 
ing to cut their way out and get away from us." In military 
lan^Tuao-e this sort of a movement is called a sally, or sortie. The 
Confederates knew that their communications were cut off with 
the rest of the world, that there was no hope of resisting a siege, 
that Grant would be sure in the end either to capture them or 
starve them out, and they determined to make an effort to get 
away by breaking a hole in the Union line of battle and running 
through it toward Nashville. 

That PViday night, February 14, was bitter cold, and there 
was much suffering in the trenches and along the picket line, 
liefore daybreak next morning the Confederates had opened the 
battle, concentrating their troops against the Union right, and, 
for a time, breakingf in that flank, amid much havoc and with 
desperate fighting on both sides. What noble names pass 
before the eye as one studies anew that terrible day : McCler- 
nand, at the head of the First Division, winning his commission 
as major general of volunteers by his gallantry, with W. H. L, 
Wallace, one of the noblest spirits on the field, soon afterward 
to yield uj) his life at Shiloh, McArthur, full of daring, and 
Oglesby, still living to be honored again and again by the fran- 
chises of his splendid State of Illinois, as brigade commanders, 
and John A. Logan, his eye like that of an eagle, his voice sound- 
ing above the storm of battle, with magnificent courage leading 
his Thirty-first Illinois; General C. F. Smith in command of the 
Second Division, a gifted veteran soldier, who nearly forty years 
i)ef()re had graduated at West Point, and ever since had been in 
military service, ha\ ing indeed been Grant's instructor in tactics 




A PEN AND INK RECOLLECTION OF GENERAL GRANT AS HE APPEARED IN THE FIELD 



SIGHT-SEEING AT FORT DONELSON. 81 

at the academy twenty years before the battle in which they 
were both now engaged, and under him Colonels Lauman, Mor- 
gan L. Smith, and J. Cook, commanding brigades ; and the 
famous Lew Wallace in charge of the Third Division, with the 
gallant Crufts and Thayer as his acting brigadiers — these were 
some of the heroic leaders who under Grant during those peril- 
ous days at Donelson helped to win the fight. 

We may not tarry to depict the varying fortunes or describe 
the details of the engagement ; suffice it to say that there were 
charges and countercharges ; that the fight between the " ins " 
and the " outs " was desperate and lasted nearly all day, and that 
finally the Confederates were driven back into their intrench- 
ments, while there were heavy losses on both sides. 

Next day was Sunday, February i6. Grant had his troops 
in line of battle at an early hour, and was about to give orders to 
open the engagement, when the skirmishers, advancing through 
the woods, heard the sound of a bugle, and soon afterward met 
an officer bearing a white flag. 

" What do you want ? " was the question of the skirmishers. 

" We have a message for General Grant ; where will we find 
him } " 

" Halt here and we will send the dispatch to him," was their 
reply ; and at once a courier was sent with the letter to the gen- 
eral. It was found to contain a request for the battle to cease till 
noon, and a proposition for commissioners to be appointed to 
arrange terms of capitulation. 

The good news flew quickly along the ranks that a flag of 
truce had come in, and all sorts of rumors spread out through 
the army as to the contents of the dispatch which had been 
received. 

The reply of General Grant is now one of the famous sayings 
of history. He said to the rebel commander, " No terms except 



82 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

an unconditional and immediate surrender can be accepted. I 
propose to move immediately upon your works," 

Soon there came another flag of truce, and this time it bore a 
letter announcing that General Buckner, the chief officer of the 
Confederates in the fort, had accepted the terms and that the 
place was ours. 

That was a stirring Sunday. The word passed along the ranks 
like a flash of liorhtnine, " Fort Donelson has surrendered." The 
men went wild with joy. They screamed and yelled and shouted 
and cheered in the wood and all along the line of earthworks, 
froni one end of the army to the other. The boys on the gun- 
boat fleet and on the transports took up the cheers and made the 
sky resound with their glad hurrahs. The Confederate flag was 
hauled down and the Union banner was unfurled on the staff, 
and at the sight the band played Yankee Doodle, and Hail, Co- 
lumbia, and other national airs, and then everybody cheered 
again. Soon the two armies were mingling together as freely as 
if they had been all members of the same family. The bluecoats 
traded off greenbacks for tobacco, and supplied bacon and hard- 
tack to those who were in need. Groups of Yankees and 
Confederates were to be seen all around the works conversing 
and laughing and jesting with each other on the most friendly 
terms. For days they had been trying in the most desperate 
and determined fashion to kill one another; now they were 
brothers again, all sectionalism, feuds, hatreds, and strifes for- 
gotten or ii^niort'd. The men of Illinois and Iowa, and the 
soldiers of Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia, conversed and 
commingled with delightful sense of comradeship — each side 
recognizing the valor, the skill, and the military capacity of the 
other, and each army feeling that it had met in the other's forces 
foemcn worthy of its steel. 

Very soon the prisoners were embarked on steamers and sent 



SIGHT-SEEING AT FORT DONELSON. 



83 



to places of safe-keeping in the North. The sight of the trans- 
ports laden with this strange freight was unique. From one end 
of the boats to the other the decks were covered with motley 
crowds of Southerners, some arrayed in butternut-colored gar- 
ments, some clad in neat gray uniforms, and others scantily 
dressed only in dirty blankets. For the first time in many 
months they were under the Stars and Stripes, but now, alas ! they 
were prisoners of war, on their way to places of captivity, while, 
as the steamers on which they sailed off down the river bore 
them away, they saw the works which they had so gallantly 
defended manned by Union soldiers. 




84 



WHA r A BOV SAW IN THE ARMY. 



CHAPTER V. 

UP THE TENNESSEE RIVER. 




IzS'^A 




HE cavalrybattalion to which 

Jack belonged was ordered 

to go into camp and perform 

picket duty as soon as the 

surrender took place. It was 

encamped for awhile at Randolph 

Forges, on the estate of John 

Bell, called the Cumberland Iron 

Works, near the village of Dover, 

a few miles from the fort. This 

large property belonged to the 

f._ gentleman who had been the candidate 

for President on the " Bell and Everett " 

ticket in the preceding election in i860. 

Many slaves were still on the place, and the question of the 

bearing of the war on their destiny had not yet been settled. 

Nobody knew what would become of them or what the Union 

army ought to do with them or for them. 

One day while in this camp a middle-aged Negro came to 
Jack's tent, where he was reading, and, after elaborately taking 
off his torn liat and politely bobbing his head up and down 
antl court(,'ously scraping the earth with his right foot at the 
same time, he asked permission to talk a wliile. He had looked 
about him very carefully first, in order to be sure that his words 




/-/<?"- 



UP THE TENNESSEE RIVER. 85 

would not be overheard. Then he began : " Massa, I hopes dat 
you won't reckon it imp'dent if I axes you a pertick'ler question." 

" O, no," was the encouraging reply of Jack. " Go ahead. 
What do you want to know }'' 

" Well, massa," said the black man, bowing and scraping as 
he spoke, and so nervous and anxious that his lip quivered and 
his voice trembled with excitement, " massa, de fact. is dat I'se 
curyus to find out what dis yer wall means. I'se hearn tell a 
good deal about it, an' I'se been a-wonderin' if it's gwine to help 
my people any afore it's over. Duz you think, now, massa, dat 
dis yer wah's gwine to — " and here he stopped and held his 
breath and glanced about him, afraid to speak, lest even his 
whispers might be reported to the overseer, who was still on the 
place. 

" You needn't be afraid," said Jack ; " there is no one around 
here who would harm you. I will not tell on you. We are all 
your friends, and you may be certain that no Union soldier 
would betray you. Speak right out what you have in your 
mind." 

" Well, massa, tell me, now, duz ye think dat dis wah's agwine 
to do anything for us poh cullud folks ? Sometimes I spec' dat 
it is, and den again I spec' dat it isn't, an' I has no one to talk 
to dat knows about dese yer mattahs. I'se laid awake nights a 
heap since de trouble done gone commenced, a-thinkin' it all 
ober, an' now I'se in a snarl wuss nur I was afore. Now dar's 
ole Aunt Betty, she's shore dat we's all gwine to get our freedom 
by an' by. Dat's wot I'd like to fin' out. Is de wah gwine to 
set us free } " 

" Why, Tom, who put that into your head ? " 

" Well, massa, it's a good while ago sence dat notion come 
inter my min'. Ye see, dar was a lot ob Yankee folks out yar in 
de woods gittin' out timber fur de big ships, and I was sent out 



86 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

dar wid de oxen to tote de long sticks down to de ribber. I 
felt like askin' em about dat strange country, de Norf, whar all 
de folks is free, but I was afeard to say a word to 'em about it. 
But one day one ob de men sez to me, sez he, ' Duz you know 
dat you black folks will all have yer liberty arter a while ? ' an', 
someways, dat question struck clean froo me. It seemed as if 
somebody 'd done gone and tole de man just what I'd been 
a-thinkin' about. I was knocked all through-other. I could 
har'ly answer him, but I makes out to say, ' How you know 
dat?' An' he says, ' Nebber you min' how I knows it ; jis' 
'member what I says to you. De time '11 come bimeby when you 
kin have your chillens in de school, and you kin larn to read 
yerse'f, and you'll have de chance to make yer own libbin' and 
be a man wid de rest ob men.' 

" Dat's what the Yankee gen'l'man said, and his words hab 
nebber lef me. I 'membered 'em all dcse years ; an' when de 
sojers commenced for to go from dis yer place to de wah, and 
when dey all said dat dey was agwine to cut loose from de Norf 
and not let any of de Yankees rule any longer, den I 'membered 
it all de mo'. I didn't see how it was gwine to come aroun', 
but I wondered what dat man meant and how he come to know 
so much about it ; an' sence you gen'l'men done gone come and 
took de fort an' has matters all yer own way I'se been a-won- 
derin' an' conjurin' an' 'quirin' 'bout de matter till I'se almos' los' 
my wits. Nobody 'mong us 'pears to know anything 'bout it 
'cept ole Aunt Betty." 

" And who is this old Aunt Betty 7 Tell me what she says 
about it," said Jack. 

" Ole Aunt I)('tty is a great woman 'mongst us, massa. She 
pears ter know moli dan an)' one else when we's in trubble. 
She's ole and blin' and all cripple up wid de roomatiz, and de 
little pickaninnies follers arter her when she goes along roun' 



UP THE TENNESSEE RIVER. 



87 



de plantation, makin' all sorts ob sport wid her ; but she nebber 
minds 'em, an' when dey gets sick she comes an' says words ober 
'em, an' dat makes 'em well again and dey nebber forgets ole 
Aunt Betty arter dat. She's no good no moh for to work in 
the fiel', but she does little chores 'roun' de house for de missis, 
Ebery once in a while, when she's down in de cabin wid de 
cullud folks roun' about, den 
she does talk to 'em like one 
ob dem kronikles de Bible 
tell about." 

" Well, but what does 
she say about the war and 
the time when you will be 
free.^" inquired the inter- -i 
ested boy. 

" O, massa, I can't begin 
to tell you all dat ole auntie 
says. She 'pears ter know 
all about dese yer mattahs. 
She smokes her pipe and 
mumbles to herse'f, an' says, 
sort a-whisperin' like, ' Min', 
now, what yer ole auntie 
tells yer. She ain't got long to tarry wid you no moh. Pretty 
soon de Massa will call her to go on de long journey. Her eyes 
is not to see what your eyes will see arter a while. An' when 
I'm dead an' gone, den ye will 'member dat ole auntie saw what was 
a-comin' to pass. De fire mus' burn, an' de dross be burnt up, an' 
de Ian' mus go froo de fiery furnace, an' den bimeby all de people 
will go free. O, chillens, dat's what the hymns mean dat we sing : 

" Keep a-inchin' along, Keep a-inchin' along, 
Jesus will come bimeby." 




"OLE AUNT BETTY." 



88 WHAT A BOV SAW IN THE ARMY. 

What docs dat mean, chillens? He's comin' to make you all 
free. We's all got to stay a long time down in Egypt's Ian', an' 
den de Lord '11 lead us out froo de Red Sea. It's de Red Sea, 
shore enough — red like de fire, red like de blood. But min' what 
I tell you, all de people will be free.'" 

And here the man stopped for a moment. The vision which 
the old colored woman had seen now seemed to flash before his 
eye also. He spoke after a little while of silence : 

" Now, massa, what duz you say about all dis } Is you gwine 
to do anythin' fur de black folks afore you finish de wah .?" 

At first Jack could not reply. His feelings were solemn and 
peculiar. He had never before talked with a slave. He had been 
brought up in free Pennsylvania, and had not even up to the time 
of the war seen a bondman. This interview gave him some new 
feelings and thoughts. The glistening eyes of the slave, his trem- 
bling and agitated voice, his homely and expressive language, and 
the anxious and plaintive inquiries which he offered — all these 
taken in connection witli tlie hurried and fearful glances about 
him in the midst of his conversation, showing his dread of de- 
tection, deeply touched the boy's soul. He felt a sense of broth- 
erhood to the black man who crouched before him trying to 
unravel a problem that was just then puzzling wiser heads than 
his — a feeling of relationship such as he had once thought it 
would Ix; impossible for him to feel toward any one of the colored 
race. I^'or the first time the boy really took into his mind the 
possible issues of the war in regard to slavery. He saw what 
might result from the success of the Union army in this respect, 
freedom and equal rights to all men of every race. He did 
not sec clearly, however, the end of the matter. It was not 
plain to his mind, the work of setting free the bondman. He 
did not sec liow it was to be done, and yet he hoped that this 
would be one fruit of the struggle. So, more to brighten the 



UP THE TENNESSEE RIVER. 89 

hopes of his questioner than to satisfy himself or solve the 
puzzle, he replied : 

"Tom, I guess Aunt Betty is right. Some of these old aunties 
can look very far ahead and see what none of the rest can see. 
If she has seen a vision of liberty for you all, the good Lord may 
have sent it. I can't tell yet what the upshot of the war will be, 
and it is hard for any one to see through it to the end. But a 
good many believe that when at last it ends every black man in 
the land will be free." 

The man's face was lighted up with a new expression of hope 
and patience combined as he shook the proffered hand of the 
boy and, uttering his hearty thanks, went out of the tent and 
back to the colored quarters of the estate. Jack watched him, 
and noticed him stopping to talk with a little group of his own 
people in the distance. They conversed with eagerness and in- 
terest, and meanwhile pointed toward the tent where Jack still 
remained. The boy saw that the talk he had just engaged in 
with the slave was the subject of discussion. Those few words 
of comfort and cheer, how they were whispered around that 
estate from one to another of the lowly blacks! what pictures 
of freedom did they paint before those benighted minds ! what 
patience did they inspire ! what sorrows did they assuage ! Ah, 
who can tell now } 

Not long were the troops allowed to enjoy a season of rest 
at Randolph Forges. Soon orders came to cross over the coun- 
try to the Tennessee River ; tents were struck, supplies were 
packed, and once more the command ventured forward still far- 
ther into the Confederacy. 

The region between the two rivers, which here run for some 
distance almost parallel to each other, is a rough, hilly, and 
nearly barren wilderness. The ride over the rocky roads and 
throuorh the woods in the bleak winter wind and throuo-h the 



90 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

snow that fell, mixed with sleet, was cheerless and uncomfortable 
enouij^h. The sijj^ht of a deer, once or twice, bounding through 
the forest in the distance, the occurrence of singular-looking 
mountain bushes and winter berries here and there along the 
route, the blocking uj) of the roads by breakdowns and deep ruts, 
were the only matters of interest that took place to vary the 
tedious day's march over the hills. The boy was chilled to the very 
marrow long before he arrived at the camp on the banks of the 
Tennessee. Reaching there, he bustled around with all his 
might to help put the tents up before night should close in. 
Then a bright, snapping fire was built, and Ned mixed him a tin 
of something hot and stimulating to clieck the chill, and before 
he fell asleep he had forgotten the toils and exposure of the 
mountainous ride. 

The transports were all ready, and in the morning the com- 
mand was ordered aboard. This time the battalion was assigned 
to the division of General llurlbut, with General Crufts as the 
commander of the brigade. 

just about the time of starting the question of Jack's relation 
to the army was partially settled. He had made up his mind 
to enlist if the officer who hatl charge of the muster-in of the 
troops would pass him. Accordingly, his name was entered on 
the rolls of one of the companies of the battalion, and he waited 
anxiously for lUc \ isit and decision of the mustering official. 
The major said to him one day, " Jack, you will have to serve for 
the present without pay or allowances, and it is j)Ossil)le that )'ou 
cannot, under ihc rules of the service, be sworn in. If you are 
satisfied to serve under these conditions you can be; set down 
as one of our recruits." 

The boy assented to the conditions, and in a few days he 
was announced by order of General Crufts as the postmaster of 
the brigade which was made up of the Thirty-first and I'^orty- 



UP THE TENNESSEE RIVER. 91 

fourth Indiana and the Seventeenth and Twenty-fifth Kentucky 
regiments of infantry, with Major Bowman's Third Battalion of 
the Fourth Illinois Cavalry.* He had entered on his duties just 
before the start was made up the river. After the troops were on 
board and the transports were laden with baggage and the gun- 
boats were all ready for the expedition a delay of some hours took 
place. The night came, and no orders to move had arrived. News 
came to the boat on which the cavalry were awaiting the move- 
ment that at division headquarters, a mile or two down the river, 
on the transport Neptune, a large package of mail matter was 
ready for distribution. The night was dark and the river rough 
and the rain coming down fiercely ; but all this was accounted as 
no hindrance at all when letters from home were so near. A boat 
was launched from the steamer, two men were assigned to it from 
the crew, and Jack was put in charge of it and ordered to bring the 
mail with the utmost possible dispatch. Out into the darkness 
they swiftly sped, and in a short time they saw ahead of them 
the lights of the Ncptu7ie. The sentinel on deck challenged the 
boat, and Jack made known his errand and was allowed to come 
on deck, where he found about five bushels of letters and papers 
that had been accumulating at Cairo and had just been for- 
warded to the army from that point. While Jack was attend- 
ing to the duty of receiving and stowing away the mail Gen- 
eral Hurlbut came up and asked, " Is Major Bowman on your 
boat?" 

The boy replied, saluting the general promptly, "Yes, sir; I 
am on duty at his headquarters. Have you any word for him.^" 

" Yes ; I want to send him a message. If you will remember 
it I need not \vrite it down. Tell him to assume command of 

* Among the afterward famous men connected with this brigade was Benjamin H. 
Bristow, Lieutenant Colonel of the Twenty-fifth Kentucky, and afterward Secretary of the 
Treasury under President Grant. 



92 



WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 



his steamer, and at daybreak in the morning to lead the way up 

the river. We will follow." 

" All right, general ; I will deliver the message." 

Back to the steamer from which he had come Jack and his 

precious freight were quickly rowed by the stout arms of the 

boatmen. Arriving there, he found that Major Bowman had gone 








M^^ 



'i4$?v 







BRINGING THE MAIL. 



to bed in his stateroom, fatigued with the constant exposures 
and toils of the past week, during which he had been in the sad- 
dle night and day. For the first time in many days he had a 
chance to get into a jjcd, and Ik; had embraced the opportunity 
at an early lioiir. Jack was nonplused. He said to hlmsc'.f, 
" I do not like to wake him out of liis first sleep. I can give the 
message to him in the morning just as well. He is tired and 
half sick, and it would not be ri-dit to rouse him now." And so 



UP THE TENNESSEE RIVER. 93 

the boy went on with his duty as postmaster, working until late 
to get the mail for the different regiments assorted, and not 
willing to go to bed until he had found out whether his night 
journey had brought him any news from his own dear ones far 
away. It was after midnight when the boy went to sleep, and long 
after daylight when he awoke. He thought of his message, and in 
alarm dressed himself and hurried to the major's stateroom. No 
one was in it. He ran up on deck, and found the major pacing to 
and fro in perplexity and fretting on account of the delay. " I 
do not see what this means," he was saying to an officer near 
him. " They are making some sort of signals to us from the 
Neptune down yonder, and the other transports have steam up 
and are all ready to go, and yet here we stay. They must be 
waitingr for somethinsf, but what it is I cannot tell." 

" O, major," Jack faltered, "General Hurlbut told me last 
night, when I was down at his boat to get the mail, that you 
were to take command of the troops on this steamer and lead the 
way this morning at daybreak. You were asleep when I got back, 
and I was afraid to disturb you and break your first rest, and 
so I put it off till this morning, and I overslept myself, and — " 

"Thunder and lightning! Didn't you know any better than 
that 1 Afraid to disturb me ! " And in high dudgeon the officer 
strode away to give orders to the captain of the transport to 
move up the river at once, and in a few moments they were 
under way. After seeing that the orders, thus delayed, were 
carried out, the major came back to the affrighted boy, from 
whom even the appetite for breakfast had been scared away. 

"Jack, once for all, let this be a lesson for you ! I thought 
you knew more about military matters than to make such a 
blunder. You have delayed the whole expedition, and I do not 
know how much damage you have done. Here for an hour or 
more General Hurlbut has been waiting for me to lead off and 



94 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

wonderiin-- whv I did not start, and meanwhile you have been 
asleep, with his orders locked up in your slumbering brain. If 
you ever do an act like this again it will lead to your being tried 
by a drumhead court martial." 

All this was a very galling and bitter experience to the boy. 
It is worth while to put on record the fact that after that inci- 
dent he did, to the letter, just what was told him, and never 
stopped to ask whether the major was asleep or awake when 
he had an order to give him. 

The views that were afforded along the route of the expe- 
dition, which included more than eighty steamboats and a dozen 
ironclads, were many of them charming and romantic. Some- 
times a dozen transports would be in sight at once, decked with 
flags, crowded with bluecoats, and heavily laden with artillery 
and military stores of different sorts. In places the banks were 
high and steep and the current narrow and swift. The steamers 
made a gay and inspiring appearance as they sailed along 
through such gorges, the rocky bluffs and wood-crested heights 
forming a charming background to the picture. Then the 
scenery would change and the banks would recede and a dense 
canebrake would appear, followed by a rural steamboat landing. 
Here and there on a lofty crag would be seen a group of people, 
natives of the region, summoned to the river by the news that 
the Northern army was advancing up the stream. Once in a 
while these little knots of spectators would greet the troops 
with cheers and the flapping to and fro of tiny Union flags, and 
again a few sullen, silent, frowning men and women would be 
noticed in the woods on the brink of the river or at a wood 
wharf or at some little hamlet, showing by their demeanor that 
they wished the waves would swallow the whole expedition. 

Every little while the wild echoes of the woods were awakened 
by the music of the bands, and they would often resound with the 



UP THE TENNESSEE RIVER. 95 

cheers given by the soldiers when they discerned signs of Union 
sentiments among the few inhabitants visible. Thus the time 
passed on until the transports one morning were found tied up at 
an obscure little point on the river called Pittsburgh Landing. 
Orders were given to land and go out into the woods and encamp. 

For many weeks afterward this before unheard-of place be- 
came the depot and rendezvous for the Army of the Tennes- 
see, and in a short time it was christened with an event that will 
never be forgotten, one of the fiercest and bloodiest battles of 
our time. The bluffs here are high and steep, and it was with 
much difficulty that the cannon and wagons and stores were 
unloaded and taken up the hill. After a good deal of work and 
an immense amount of profanity the army was on its feet again 
and distributed through the woods and over the little patches 
of farms that were to be found here and there in the region near 
the Landing. The division of General Hurlbut was ordered to 
go into camp a couple of miles from the place of debarking in 
the woods near the bank of the river. Here for a couple of weeks 
the usual duties of camp life went on without disturbance. The 
regiment went out on picket, ran into a lot of Confederates, got 
a good deal excited, captured some rebel cavalry, and soon began 
to wonder again what was before them in the shape of a battle. 

Near the camp, right on the brink of the high bluff, were a 
couple of Indian mounds, singular in form, quite high, and an 
object of curiosity to all who noticed them. The woods 
abounded with wild turkeys and other game. At one place 
were to be seen some remarkable springs of water. From a 
hiorh wall of rock were discovered, crushins: out of the fissures 
in the limestone, a score or more streams of fresh, clear, cold 
water, some of them as large as a man's arm. 

The night they went into camp Jack deemed himself fortu- 
nate in being able to get a good place for his bed. He found 



96 



WHAT A liOV SAW IN THE ARMY. 



a nice lot of dry leaves, and, (gathering them in a heap, he spread 
his blankets down, thinking of the comfortable couch he would 
have to sleep in. Just before he went to bed he had occasion to 
hunt for somethinor he had lost amoncr the blankets, and, turnine 
them back, he made a startling discovery. He had made his bed in 
a big nest of wood ticks ! That was his introduction to a species 
of tormentor of man and beast which abounds in that latitude. 

On the morning of the 5th of April the Third Battalion of 
the Fourth Illinois Cavalry was ordered to report to General 
Sherman for duty. Down came the tents, the wagons were 
packed up, and by sundown the command was in its new quar- 
ters. It was Saturday evening, and orders were given to be 
ready at sunrise next morning to go out on a scouting expedition. 
Some signs of the enemy had been noticed for a day or two, and 
it was desirable to know whether any Confederates were near. 

General Sherman's division was encamped at Shiloh Chapel, 
a little, old, rough log church about three miles from the Landing, 
at the very front of the army. Here the battalion bivouacked 
in the woods that night, little thinking of the events that would 
happen on the morrow, and nobody dreaming that within two 
miles of the spot where they were lying an army of forty thou- 
sand Confederates had already formed line of battle for the 
morrow's dreadful struggle ! 















THE BOY LEARNS WHAT HIS LEGS WERE MADE FOR. 97 



CHAPTER VI. 

THE BOY LEARNS AT SHILOIi WHAT HIS LEGS WERE MADE FOR. 







jARLY in the morninc: of Sun- 
day, April 6, the cavalry bat- 
i^'^JT talion to which Jack belonged 
had risen and prepared for work. 
Orders had been issued the 
niorht before to start out on 
the Corinth road as soon as 
possible the next day to re- 
connoiter the country round 
about and see whether any 
rebel force might be near. 
Before sunrise the men had 
breakfasted, fed their horses, 
and were ready to saddle up 
and get into line at short 
notice. The morninLT was a brio-ht one. The robins had been 
chirping in the woods since dawn, and the trees were full of 
music, when suddenly a sound not so melodious broke in on the 
ears of the soldiers, an occasional shot from the picket line a 
mile beyond the camp. At first nothing was thought of this, as 
the guards had been permitted at times to fire off their guns to 
clean them in the morning on being relieved of duty and return- 
ing to camp. The horses, which had already been saddled, be- 
gan, as well as the men, to show signs of nervous excitement, 




98 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

which was not lessened any as the firnig continued, and as wild 

birds, in great numbers, rabbits in commotion, and numerous 

squirrels came flocking toward the Union lines as though they 

were beino- driven from the woods in front. It was now almost 

six o'clock, and the neighboring infantry regiments showed 

tokens of alarm, and some of them began to form line of battle. 

By the time that hour actually came the firing had become quite 

heavy, a cannon shot now and then being heard in the midst of 

the musketry. An officer said, " That means trouble. There is 

somethine wrone out there. The rebels must be attacking our 

outposts." The words were scarcely spoken when a straggling 

squad of men came running by in great excitement, their officers 

in vain trying to keep them in order. They shouted the news that 

the Confederates were making an attack on the picket line with 

a heavy force. Still, no one thought of anything more than a 

little skirmish. It was strange that nobody in that army, from 

the commander down to the smallest drummer-boy, had thought 

of the possibility of an attack upon it. No fortifications had 

been thrown up, no rifle-pits had been dug, no extra precautions 

had been used in order to guard against surprise and disaster. 

It is difficult to believe what is the simple truth in the case, that 

Albert Sidney Johnston, with his army of Confederates, was 

engaged nearly all day Saturday arranging his lines of battle, 

about two miles in front of the Union picket line, without let or 

hindrance, no Federal soldier beino- near enou^rh to molest or 

make him afraid ! If there had been a single line of earthworks, 

a few rifle-pits along the Union front, the advanced position 

could have been held against any force that might have been 

thrown against it. It is scarcely comprehensible now that Grant 

and Sherman were both overconfident in their belief that their 

enemy would not dare venture from Corinth, twenty miles away, 

to make any attack on their forces at Pittsburgh Landing. 



THE BOY LEARNS WHAT HIS LEGS WERE MADE FOR. 99 

By this time the bugles had sounded, " Fall in — mount!" and 
the cavalry was soon in line. The long roll was beaten among 
the infantry regiments in every direction. The men were just at 
breakfast, and many of them had to spring into the ranks in a 
hurry without waiting to drink their coffee or eat their hard- 
tack. 

Following pellmell after the first squad of retreating men 
came the whole regiment of infantry to which they belonged, 
and one or two wounded soldiers, all very much frightened, and 
running in dismay. At once it was seen that something serious 
was the matter. 

Major Bowman had drawn the battalion up in line, and was 
about to report with them to General Sherman, whose head- 
quarters were not far away. He called Jack to his side and said: 
" The first thing you are to do is to see after this baggage and 
have it hauled back to the rear. It looks as if we were going 
to have a battle. The teamsters are here, and I will leave every- 
thing in your care. As soon as you have had the camp equipage 
taken away you may report to me for duty with the battalion, 
wherever it may be. This will be a desperate day for us, I fear. 
We will not make any expedition on the road to Corinth this 
morning. Gracious, that firing is heavy ! It is drawing nearer 
to us very fast. You have only a few moments to get out of 
this. Take care of yourself and get this stuff removed as 
speedily as possible. I hope to see you safe and sound after a 
while. Good-bye !" And the major, with the words on his lips, 
rode off rapidly on Prince, who was excited and wild with the 
sounds of the battle which he heard. 

Jack turned in haste to the teamster, who was all ready 
with his wagon. The man was badly scared, and his horses 
were frightened too by the musketry, which was now sounding 
in rapid volleys in the woods not far away. " Come," said the 



10<^ WHAT A BOV SAW IN THE ARMV. 

boy, his own heart beating with a good deal of anxiety, " let's 
cret these boxes and trunks on the wagon as soon as we can. 
The rebels are coming, and we do not want them to get this 
baggage. Hurry!" 

The man needed no urging. His own fears were hurrying 
him up fast enough. He seized a roll of blankets and the boy 
another, and between them they carried a trunk, and without 
ceremony ran to the wagon and dumped the things into it. 
The teamster was all the while muttering and cursing under his 
breath and tellinof what he would have done to his head and 
eyes before he would let himself be taken by the rebels. They 
returned to the tent for another load, and as they did so a shell 
burst above their heads, the horses began to jump, the teamster 
himself was overcome with fright, and, leaping into the wagon, 
he grasped the lines and whipped the team into a run, shouting 
back, " I'm not going to let the Johnnies take me ! G'long ! 
Get up! Whoa, there ! Everyman for himself now!" In a 
moment he was out of hearing, and Jack was left standing in 
the midst of the baggage, with trunks and boxes and bedding 
lying in confusion all about him, the picture of bewilderment 
and despair. 

At first an insane notion seized the boy that he might carry 
the goods away to a place of safety, and with that aim he took 
hold of a trunk weighing over a hundred pounds and tried to 
shoulder it and lug it away. He found that to be impossible. 
He looked around in fear and llustration. The bullets were 
beginning to whistle among the leaves. In the midst of his per- 
plexity another shell burst near him among the branches of the 
tree to which his horse was tied. The frightened animal made 
a furious leap, tore loose, and ran away, leaving a part of the 
bridle fastened to the limb. Jack looked out through the woods 
in the direction of tlu; attack, and a hundr(;d \ards awa\-. coming 



THE BOY LEARNS WHAT HIS LEGS WERE .\L\I)F, FOR. 101 




I r 










into the other eiul of the camp on a full run, he saw a long line 

of men clad in uniforms of gray. Beyond them, half hid by the 

smoke and hardly to be seen through the trees, was a battery 

of artillery getting ready to fire. The boy almost fainted at 

the sight of his danger. He thought, in his fright, " There 

comes the whole rebel army ! 1 don't believe I can get away 

from them. My horse 

is gone and I am left 

alone in the camp, and 

here are these things 

that I was ordered to 

remove, and the 

wagon's gone, and I'm 

between the two lines! 

I'll have to leave the 

goods all here for the 

rebels to capture. 

What will the major ^: 

say ? The Lord have 

mercy on me now! I'm 

a gone customer, I 

guess ! " 

While he was 
thinkinor this in the 
twinkling of an eye 
he seized the broken 
bridle from the tree, saying, " Maybe I can pick up a horse 
somewhere." 

And then he ran ! He had known for some years that he 
had legs, but he had never before tested their strength and 
endurance and speed in a race for life. He looked back over his 
shoulder, and a glance told him that the dreadful-looking line of 




HE HAD KNOWN FOR SOME YEARS THAT HE HAD LEGS. 



102 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

Confederates was gaining on him. They were now ransacking the 
camp he had left, and he saw that he must run nearly half a mile 
to o-et really within the Union lines. A stake-and-rider fence 
was in his way. Just as he neared it and was wondering whether 
he had strength enough to get over it a cannon ball swept away 
a section of rails, and through the gap he leaped, hardly knowing 
whether he was dead or alive. His lungs heaved and panted, 
and he gasped for breath in the spasmodic effort he was making 
to escape the hands of the foe. He heard their yells behind 
him, and their shout of onset seemed to be just in his rear. 
All along in front he saw the hastily forming lines of battle 
getting ready to receive the attack. Boom ! Whiz ! Bang ! 
Rattle! went the sounds of the opening engagement all around. 
Just ahead of hini as he neared the Union ranks he saw a bat- 
tery wheel into position on a little hill in front of Shiloh Chapel. 
In an agony of alarm he saw the men loading their guns. The 
cannon seemed to be aimed right in his face. He called out — 
forgetting that in the confusion nobody could hear him — " Don't 
shoot me ! O, do wait till I get inside our lines before you 
fire!" And even while he spoke he saw the flames belch from 
the guns, and the air all about him was filled with smoke and 
his cars were torn with the awful noise. 

"It's no use! I cannot hold out any longer! I can hardly 
breathe now! My lungs will burst, my legs are giving way, I'll 
be captured surely and die in a rebel prison," he thought, still 
struggling to l^rcathe and to run. He did not know whether 
he was eoine in the rio-ht direction or not, the air was so smoky 
and his wits were so confused. At last — his tongue parched, his 
lungs almost collapsed, his heart nearly bursting, and his limbs 
ready to sink under him — he found himself within the lines of 
General Sherman's division. lie saw that great soldier riding 
all along the ranks, stationing the infantr)-, putting the batteries 




PEN AND INK SKETCH OF GENERAL SHKRMAN, ,864. 



THE BOY LEARNS WHAT HIS LEGS WERE MADE FOR. 105 

into position, aiming the very guns with his own hands, seeming 
to be everywhere at once. Toward the rear scenes of confusion 
and alarm were prevaihng, but among the ranks about him the 
boy saw many who were cool and self-possessed, and he began to 
recover his wits again. 

But he could not report for duty until he should find a horse. 
He thought within himself, " I reckon this is going to be a great 
battle, such as I have been anxious to see for a long time. I 
think I have seen enough of it. I wish I was safely out of it 
and at home. I wonder where that teamster went with what 
baggage we did save. What if that should be lost too ? O, 
here is the battalion ! Major ! Major Bowman ! " the boy shouted 
as he ran to the head of the line where that officer was in com- 
mand ; " O, major ! The teamster ran away before \ve could 
get the baggage into the wagon, and the watch you gave me to 
keep for you I had put into the big chest and locked it up 
safely, and that is one of the boxes we had to leave behind, and 
I could only save about half the bedding! All your best clothes 
and the camp furniture and the mess dishes and other things 
are gone, and my horse broke loose, and he is gone too, and I 
don't know where the driver went who took the things we did 
get into the wagon, and I'm almost dead running so fast, and — " 

Just then General Sherman rode up, and in his rapid, nervous 
way said, " Major, give me some extra men for orderlies. One of 
mine has been shot already. Take the rest of your battalion 
down toward the Landing and drive back all the stragglers you 
can find. The devil's to pay, sure enough. Hundreds of men all 
around here have run without firing a gun. I see no chance to 
use the cavalry in these woods at present, and you must keep 
them employed as best you can drumming and whipping up the 
stragglers." And off the general galloped, his clothes torn and 
soiled, and his hand bleeding from a wound he had just received. 



106 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

The major sent the men with him and ordered the battalion 
back toward the rear to perform the service requested by General 
Sherman, and as Jack walked by his side for a moment he said: 
"Take the best care of yourself you can until you find a horse, 
and then join us. Never mind about the lost property. That 
is the fortune of war. I'm sorry about the watch. Why did you 
not do just as I told you, and keep it on your person 7 It was 
natural, however, for you to think it was safer in the box. Good- 
bye." And off they rode. 

The noise and confusion of the battle had increased in every 
direction. Jack turned for a moment to look toward the enemy. 
Lines of blue-coated infantry could be seen stretching through 
the woods and across an open field and over a little knoll, antl 
thence the smoke hid the view. Just in front a battery of artil- 
ler)' was playing on the enemy. As he watched the scene he 
noticed with concern a mass of men in gray and brown clothing 
pressing into line in the woods beyond the cannon. In a mo- 
ment they came charging out of the forest and against the bat- 
tery. The infantry that had been supporting the battery gave 
way, and almost before anybody knew what had been done the 
guns were in possession of the Confederates. The woods re- 
sounded with the victorious huzzas of the enemy, and in the 
confusion and excitement that followed Jack found himself in 
the midst of a terrible stampede. 

A panic is a singular and a dreadful thing. When it strikes 
into the heart of a man or a mob or an army it can hardly be 
conquered. It bewilders and unnerves and maddens. It is the 
one thing that scares people out of their wits. Whether the 
ancient god Pan, who used to frighten armies in the woods by 
his terrific yells, according to the old Greeks, was at work that 
day, or whether the alarm came from surprise and lack of disci- 
pline and going into \.\\v. fight without breakfast we will not say 



THE BOY LEARNS WHAT HIS LEGS WERE MADE FOR. 107 

now, but at any rate there was a good deal of a panic at the 
beginning of the battle. The roads were filled with all manner 
of fugitives running for their lives. Army wagons, some empty 
and others full of rations and camp stores and baggage, were 
being driven down toward the Landing, and other wagons with 
ammunition were trying to get to the front. In the midst of 
the crowded roads at one point was a battery of artillery minus 
their guns, running away without firing a single shot. They had 
been frightened by the death of their captain, who was shot 
dead while he was giving command to them to come into line 
and open on the foe. Sutlers' wagons were jammed into the 
midst of the throng of pale and frightened men, some of whom 
were only half dressed, some carrying their muskets and others 
without any weapons or accouterments, having lost or thrown 
them away in their alarm. Colored servants, bleached almost 
white now with terror, were scampering out of the reach of the 
rebel bullets. Here and there a soldier had seized a mule or a 
horse and, with only a rope or a strap to manage him with, had 
mounted the animal and was trying to force his way to the river. 
Officers were in vain attempting to quiet the alarm and organize 
the wild, surging, frantic mob that was pressing toward the place 
where the transports were tied up. Word was sent quickly 
down to the Landing to have the steamers anchor in the middle 
of the stream and to let no one come on board. 

The replies of the stragglers to the appeals made to them 
to go back to the front and help those who were fighting there 
were piteous enough. " Come, men, do not act the coward," 
urged the officers. " There is no reason for your fears. We can 
whip the cursed rebels if you will only turn back and aid your 
comrades. Stop, boys, stop, and listen ! I'm ashamed of you ! 
Have you no reason or souls at all .? O, do not leave your flag! 
Don't give way to this panic. Back, men ! you must not crowd 



108 WHA'l- A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

this way ! Back, I say, or I'll shoot the first coward that dares 
to pass this line! " 

The poor fellows who were thus brought to a halt cried out, 
in one voice, " It's no use, captain ! Our regiment's all cut to 
pieces ; there's nothing left of it at all. Most of 'em was cap- 
tured by the rebs before they got their breakfasts. We're all 
whipped to blazes !" Another clamor from a dozen voices was 
heard, " Captain, I'm sick — 'deed I am. I can hardly walk now. 
I'm too weak to load a musket, let alone carry one." And still 
another excuse formed itself in this wise : " O, lieutenant, I 
have to iro to the Landincr after ammunition. The colonel said 
I should. I must oret through." 

And so, with one excuse after another, and with the same cry 
of danger and disaster, they infected each other with their fears 
and spread the panic far and wide, until thousands were the vic- 
tims of it. 

Before Jack had gone very far he caught a loose horse, and, 
jnitting his bridle on him, he was soon mounted ; but where to 
find the battalion by this time was more than he could tell, and 
so he went on down with the throng — the restless, panic-stricken, 
anxious throng — to the Landing, where he saw an appalling 
scene. r\illy five thousand soldiers were slinking out of sight 
wherever they could hide. As it happened, they could not 
retreat any farther than the wharf, for a creek on one side and 
a swampy bayou on the other hemmed them in; but here, within 
the space of half a mile, lining the bluffs, hid behind stumps, 
crouching nndcrllu; Inishes, concealed in the trees, digging holes 
in the banks of the river, and finding shelter in the dark ravines 
that everywhere abounded, a vast multitude of cowering 
wretches huddled together. 

Between nine and ten o'clock Jack saw an officer with sev- 
eral attendants pushing toward tlie front. Ahead of him were 



,- ":} 










X 







THE BOY LEARNS WHAT HIS LEGS WERE MADE FOR. HI 

several ammunition teams which he had just hurried on. The 
officer tried, as he passed by, to cheer and encourage and rebuke 
those within reach. The boy recognized General Grant. That 
officer had been overnight at Savannah, six or eight miles 
down the river, anxiously awaiting the arrival of General Buell's 
troops, who were marching overland from Nashville. As soon 
as he heard the firing he came to the spot as fast as a steamer 
could bring him. He was cool and self-possessed in the midst 
of all the excitement, and seemed to mind the confusion no 
more than the scenes of a review. Some one said to him, " Gen- 
eral, ought we not to have the other steamers that are down 
the river sent for } We may need them if we have to retreat." 
The general quietly replied, as he puffed his cigar and turned 
on toward the front, where the firinor was becomine more and 
more terrific, " We have enough transports for such a purpose, 
if it comes to that;" and as he said the words there was an ugly 
look in his eye and a slight compression of his lips that signified 
more even than the spoken utterance. 

Just then a German artillery officer belonging to General 
McClernand's division came riding up in great haste, covered 
with dirt and grimed with powder and smoke. Jack had often 
laughed at the broken English of Captain Schwartz as he drilled 
his men and screeched out the command, " Batter — ee ! Right 
veel — martsh ! " 

Now the captain said, " Sheneral — Sheneral Grant, de repels, 
dey have took my cannon. Dey captured my batteree ! " 

" Why, captain, I'm sorry to hear that. Did you spike the 
guns before they captured them } " inquired the general. 

" Vot, sheneral } Shpike dem new shteel guns.? No, sir; it 
vould shpile 'em. Ve did better as dot." 

" Well, what did you do.'^ Tell me quick, captain; I must 
hurry on." 



llL> WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

" Vg didn't shpike 'cm, no, indeed ; ve shoost took 'em back 
ao-ain. Hurrah !" — and away galloped the proud artillerist. 

In a little while the boy found his command at work tryinor 
to form the stragglers into companies and regiments and send 
them to the front. It was an almost hopeless task, for many 
officers and men were used up so completely with fear that not 
even the saber and bayonet could force them into the field again. 

Meanwhile the line of Union troops had been slowly forced 
back. Again and again they were made to retreat before the 
larger numbers of the enemy. The sound of the firing came 
nearer and nearer to the Landing, creating fresh panic among 
the cowards there. 

A few days before the battle Jack had been much impressed 
by a remark of one of the men of a neighboring regiment, a 
stalwart, blusterinor fellow. The latter had been cursinq- all 
cowards and pronouncing his opinion of the man wdio would 
not stand fire. " Why," said he, in his indignation and bravery, 
" if I thought there was a drop of cowardly blood in my veins I 
would open 'em this blessed minute and let it out with my 
knife." The boy thought on hearing the word that surely here 
he had found a model of soldierly valor. Alas ! among the 
crouching and demoralized masses at the Landing who should 
turn uj) but this hero.'* He was wallowing in a hole hn had dug 
in the bluff, his head bandaged and the pretense of a bloody 
piece of muslin around his ankle, groaning and carrying on at a 
great rate. 

"What's the matter?" said Jack. 

" O, I got hit in the head with a piece of shell, and a bullet 
went through my leg. I know I'll die, I know I will." 

"Get out of that, you wretch," said a voice close by; and 
just th<Mi the officer who had spoken the words came up in 
anger. " I've been watching you for the last few minutes. You 



THE BOY LEARNS WHAT HIS LEGS WERE MADE FOR. 113 

haven't been near enough to the rebels all day to get hit with a 
shell. You cut your own flesh and bloodied that dirty piece of 
stuff and bound it on your ankle to make believe you had been 
wounded. Get out of that, or I'll saber you, you rascal !" 

Toward night the major came back to where the boy was 
waiting for orders with the rest of the battalion and called him 
aside. 

" Jack," said he, " the issue of this battle is doubtful. We have 
been forced back all day. We may be able to hold our present 
line till Buell comes. But I want to say to you that if we are 
surrounded here and hemmed in, and there is any danger of 
surrender, this battalion is going to cut its way out at the risk 
of everything. We will force our way through the rebel army." 

The words burned into the boy's brain like fire, and started 
afresh the fever in his blood. He had been in a state of terrible 
excitement all day with the strange and awful events that had 
taken place. The words of the major stirred his already excited 
imagination to work afresh, and he saw in a moment a heated 
vision of a terrific night battle, with a regiment of cavalry head- 
ing a forlorn hope and trying to cut its way through the enemy's 
lines. He said to himself, " If it comes to that I will do all that 
I can to help it through."' 

They rode out toward the front again. The woods were so 
full of smoke that scarcely anything could be seen. Here and 
there a battery at work, a struggling line of infantry, making 
their last stand on the ridge that commanded the brow of the 
hill, at the foot of which was the wharf, an aid dashinof across 
the bullet-swept space with messages. Grant and Sherman 
seemingly everywhere at the same moment, staying the retreat, 
and reforming the lines, and directing the artillery fire, and, be- 
yond, the yelling, crowding troops of Beauregard, making a final 
struggle to drive the Union men into the Tennessee — this was 



lU WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

the picture that was dimly discerned through the battle smoke 
and tumult. 

All at once a booming sound came from the river. It was 
the report of a gun larger than any that had been used on the 
field. 

"Hurrah, boys, the gunboats are driving into them! The 
rebels are thanked ! We have 'em now," was the cry that passed 
along the ranks. The Tyler and the Lexitigton, two of the iron- 
clad fleet, had been watching all day for an opportunity to 
help in the battle. All at once their gunners caught sight of the 
Confederates pressing through the woods on the bank of the 
river, and they opened fire with the great cannon with which 
they were armed and which they had used at Fort Henry and 
Fort Donelson with such force ; by this means the Confederates 
were checked in that direction. 

Returning to the Landing again late in the afternoon, Major 
Bowman and Jack noticed a commotion on the other side of the 
river. Transports were there waiting for something or some- 
body. As the two watched the spot they saw a squad of men 
appear in sight on that side of the river. Then came a general 
and staff, and then on a run a regiment with its battle flags float- 
ing gayly in the air. They quickly embarked on transports, and 
in a short time were on the Pittsburgh Landing shore. Jack 
could hardly believe his eyes as he saw the advance guard and 
realized that IjueH's troops had come to the rescue of the Army 
of the Tennessee. The arriving troops cheered and were cheered 
in return, antl, nimbly marching up the steep bluff from the 
steamers as soon as they landed, and spurning the mass of cow- 
ards that lined the banks, they went on the double-quick out to 
the front and into position, just in time to aid in checking the 
last advance of the Confederate army for the da)-. At th(! top of 
tlu; bluff the advance was cheered by a gallant fellow who, with 



THE BOY LEARNS WHAT HIS LEGS WERE MADE FOR. 115 

one arm shot off, heroically waved the other and shouted, " Hurrah, 
boys! We are glad you've come. We will whip 'em yet!" 

A night of suspense and uncertainty followed the awful Sab- 
bath day struggle on the plains and in the woods of Shiloh. 
Shortly after the arrival of General Buell's advance the fight 
closed for the day. Beauregard, who after the death of General 
Albert Sidney Johnston, killed early in the morning, took com- 
mand of the army, is said to have sworn that before sundow^n he 
would water his horse in the Tennessee River, or in another 
place, where the fluid that horses drink is supposed to be very 
scarce. He was forced by the situation and circumstances of the 
evening to postpone his equestrian exploits, and at nightfall he 
ordered the attack to cease, and a sort of quiet reigned for 
a while over the field. 

The Confederates made captures of a good deal of spoil that 
day. They said the Union army was as daintily and richly sup- 
plied as though it was out on a picnic. This was true, and this 
fact had something to do with the issues of the fight. 

Early in the day some of the attacking force, tempted by the 
abundance of food and drink and camp furniture that was every- 
where scattered through the tents of the Union forces, stopped 
to plunder. The opportunity to ransack and feast was too 
strong to be resisted. Sutlers' goods, commissary stores, quar- 
termasters' supplies, private property of officers and men of 
various sorts, clothing, liquor of different kinds — all this was at 
their command. They w^ould have showed themselves possessed 
of a crood deal more than the average amount of self-control if 
they had resisted the temptation to help themselves to what was 
so plenty and so valuable and so greatly needed by their army 
and themselves. 

On the one side thousands strasfirled from cowardice and in 
a panic ; on the other, thousands left the ranks early in the battle 



\\(\ WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

and began to carry away their plunder, first filling their mouths 
and their bellies with the good things that were so tempting and 
delicious. Thus both armies were weakened. 

In the woods to the right of the Union line the battalion 
whose movements we have been following in this story found a 
place for their bivouac. There in the darkness they tried to 
sleep. They durst not make any fire lest the light might draw 
the shots of the enemy, and hence had to go to bed without 
coffee. A bite of raw pork and some hard crackers afforded the 
only supper that could be got under the circumstances, and when 
that was munched in silence and sadness the men threw them- 
selves down on the earth to rest as best they could in such a 
plight. 

About nine o'clock a terrible noise was heard. It seemed 
like the explosion of a mine of powder. Everyone was startled 
and affrighted. A messenger was sent out toward the front to 
see what was the matter. He came back with the news that an 
immense siege gun had been mounted on the ridge not far from 
the Landing, at the keypoint of the position, and that it was 
going to be fired off at the Confederates all night long. It car- 
ried a ball or shell weighing over sixty pounds, and made a fear- 
ful concussion. About the same hour the gunboats began to 
fire their shells into the rebel camp from the river. At every 
little interval a terrific boom and shriek would wake the echoes 
of the wilderness, telling that another bomb had been dropped 
into the enemy's camp. At the same time the groans of wounded 
men could be heard all about through the forest. All this made 
up a dreadful situation. 

About midnight Major Bowman came to Jack and roused 
him, saying, " Get up ; we are going to have a drenching storm in 
a few minutes. Come with me, and we will find shelter." 

Not far awa)- were the abandoned tents of an Ohio regiment 



THE BOY LEARNS WHAT HIS LEGS WERE MADE FOR. 117 

that was now in another part of the field. The two had hardly 
entered one of these when a thundergust broke in fury over the 
woods and swept through the battlefield. Thunderbolts crashed 
among the trees, their awful peals mingling with the loud 
reports of the siege guns and the great cannon of the gunboats, 
deafening the ear and appalling the souls of those who listened to 
the "confusion worse confounded," As the boy peered out of the 
tent through the woods he saw them alternately lighted up with 
the or]are of the liorhtnino; and then darkened with the Qrloom of 
the tempest. In a moment the darkness would be illuminated 
once more by the firing off of the cannon on the hill in front, 
and through the forest he could dimly discern the details of men 
who were searching with hurrying feet for the wounded and 
bearing them to hospitals in the rear. Mixed with other horrid 
sounds that smote his ears, he would catch every now and then 
an occasional cry of a maimed and mangled soldier crawling 
over the ground in quest of aid or lying helpless and bleeding on 
the wet earth, the sousing rain in mercy moistening his parched 
lips and cooling his fevered wounds. It all seemed more like a 
spectral vision, a ghastly dream, than an actual fact, as the boy 
gazea out into the midnight and was transfixed with the horrors 
of the scene. 

By and by the morning broke again, giving the signal for the 
commencement of another death struggle. The whole army of 
Buell had arrived and was in position. General Grant did not 
wait for the foe to attack, but at an early hour ordered an ad- 
vance against the rebel line. From that hour till late in the 
afternoon the battle continued. Cheers, now from one side and 
now from the other, booming of cannon, and fluctuations of 
defeat and victory marked the day. Gradually, however, after a 
stubborn fight, the Confederates were pushed back until they 
were forced to yield all the ground hitherto occupied by them. 



lis WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

By the middle of the afternoon the advanced Hne of Union 
camps abandoned on Sunday morning- was in the hands of 
Grant's army again. The rebels had been driven slowly from 
one point to another, until finally there came a ringing cheer 
from our whole line. It w^as the token of victory. The Con- 
federates were retreating. They had tried in \ain to drive the 
Army of the Tennessee into that river, or make it surrender, or 
force it to give up its campaign against Corinth. They had 
failed. The Union host had been caught napping, had been 
driven four or five miles back from its position, had lost con- 
siderable of its goods and some artillery ; but it still had strength 
and energy and pluck to rally again, and with Buell's help to 
drive back its antaironist to the reofion whence he came. 

The troops were not in any condition to pursue very far the 
retreating army. They had as much as they could do to make 
him let go his hold and draw off from the attack. Probably 
both sides were glad enough to cry "Quits "and stop without 
fighting any more just then. 

And now the boy's duties called him to traverse the great 
battlefield from one end to the other. The earth w^as muddied 
by the rains, and in places reddened with blood. Step by step the 
cavalry pursued the stragglers of the retreating army, picketed 
again the various roads, and passed over the whole scene of strife. 

Here, kneeling behind a tree, was a tall, lithe, well-built 
Southerner, shot dead in the act of firing off his own gun, which 
had fallen to the earth beside him. Me had just taken aim when 
th(.' fatal bullet struck him in the forehead and instantly killed 
him. He had stiffened in the posture which he had taken ; and 
there the dead man still knelt after the battle, his hand extended 
to hold the musket, his eyes glazed in the act of sighting the 
piece, his motionless body still leaning against a tree. 

Near him was a fair-haired boy, clad in a line; uniform, with 



IHE BOY LEARNS WHAT HIS LECxS WERE MADE FOR. 119 

the siens of rank on his collar indicating him to have been a 
lieutenant. His face, his neat and cleanly and well-kept person, 
his slender and shapely hands, his thin lips, his rosy cheeks, 
ruddy even in death, his clear-cut and handsome features, all 
betokened a youth of a good family and breeding and wealth, 
while his regimental insignia showed that he was from South 
Carolina. He lay on the ground, his head resting on his arm, and 
seemed to be wrapped in a gentle sleep. The boy, in the hope 
that he was not dead, dismounted and felt the pulse of the youth. 
It was still and cold as ice. But there was not visible at first 
the sign of any wound, until Jack noticed a torn place in the 
clothing just over the left breast. Looking there the boy found 
a bullet mark in the llesh — the stripling had been shot through 
the heart. He seemed about Jack's age. His youth, his manly 
beauty, his apparent position and refinement, his early death, his 
appearance as if in slumber, all appealed deeply and touchingly 
to the heart of the spectator. Jack said to himself as he stood 
by the side of the dead and passed his hand for a moment ten- 
derly over the soft and silken hair, and touched reverently and 
lovingly the cheek, which was as velvety and delicate as a wom- 
an's : " I pity the poor mother and sisters of this lad away over 
in the Palmetto State. He was — who knows .'^ — their pet, their 
stay, their all. Here he lies among the unknown dead, and will 
be buried with a great multitude in the trenches. Poor fellov/ ! " 
And a tear fell from the eye of the sympathizing boy as he lin- 
gered there. But he could not tarry. A w^ounded man close by 
made a signal for aid. Jack hurried to his side. A gaping wound 
in his chest showed that he was near death. The breath was 
slowly coming and going in convulsive and painful throbs. 

" Can I do anything for you ?" said Jack. 

The man made a motion, pointing witli a desperate effort to 
his wound, and gasped, " I wish you would tell my — " and then 



120 



WlIAr A BOY SAW IN THK AKMV. 



suddenly stopped in the midst of the sentence. His breath 
failed, his head fell back, the blood gurgled from his mouth, and 
he was dead! No name was to be found on his clothing, and 
the messaee which he was about to utter was stilled forever. 

Farther on was the spot where one of the Union batteries had 
made an heroic stand, the guns battered and dismantled, and the 
horses lying dead in every direction. The scene now seems to 
the boy, as he reviews it, more like a sojourn in the abodes of 
the lost in hell ; and it is recalled now only to remind us what 
our Union has cost. 

Nurses by the score from the North were soon on hand. 
The Sanitary Commission and its twin, the Christian Commis- 
sion, in a very few days after the battle came to the spot with 
delicacies, medicines, and needed articles of comfort for the 
wounded. It was wonderful the attraction and reverence and 
admiration that the sight of a woman created in that wilderness. 
For months the army had been out of sight of the gentler sex. 
The soldiers, hungry to see a woman's face and form, stood about 
the hospitals and transports, waiting by scores until one of the 
female nurses appeared. Then they would crowd up with grate- 
ful and respectful attentions and beg permission simply to shake 
hands. And as they exchanged a few words with her they 
thought, often with tears, of mother, children, and home. 





^A:>f 



A CHANGE OF FRONT. 



121 



CHAPTER VII. 

A CHANGE OF FRONT. 

HE army at once commenced a 
general advance upon the city of 
Corinth. After the battle of 
Shiloh General Halleck took 
command of the troops, 
with General Grant as his 
next in rank. Heavy siege 
cannon were brought to the 
spot and mounted on great 
gun carriages and directed 
aeainst the fortifications of 
the Confederates. Slow 
approaches were made on 
the threatened city. Deep 
trenches were dug, and par- 
apets were thrown up, and 
batteries were established 
commanding the rebel 
forts ; and thus step by 
step the Confederates were crowded back, and mile after mile of 
the distance between Shiloh Chapel and the village of Corinth 
was slowly traversed. Once in a while a skirmish would take 
place, or the cavalry would have a brush with the rebel horse- 
men, or a day of cannonade would put the army on the alert 




^ <? 



122 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMV. 

and give the impression that an assault was about to be made; 
but with these exceptions the siege was a tedious piece of business. 

The boys on picket used to call out to the rebels near them 
that the Union army was making a new edition of the Scriptures, 
since they were bringing and bearing to its destination "Abra- 
ham's Epistles to the Corinthians." 

Meanwhile as the army ventured out farther into the region 
back of Pittsburgh Landing, and away from the river, the drink- 
ing water was found to be scarce and nasty. Springs were rare, 
" branches " were low and brackish, and very often the only 
thing in the shape of water was that which might be dipped up 
from stagnant pools and wallow-holes along by the roadside. 
Sickness, of course, followed the use of this slimy and putrid 
stuff. Among those who were stricken down were the major 
and Jack. First the appetite gave way ; then the various ails 
that accompany the use of impure drinking water ensued, and 
finally the trouble became so bad as to threaten their lives unless 
it could be checked. 

This was the time that tried Jack's soul. He was ill and 
homesick, weak and growing weaker every day. It was hard to 
get away on leave, or procure a furlough from the army in the 
midst of active operations, and at a time when an assault was 
looked for at any hour of the day or night ; but it was still 
harder to stay there in the ditches and die of malarial disease 
and be buried in Mississippi mud. 

The boy's spirit and fortitude left him. In addition to his ail- 
ments the musterinor officer had refused to muster him into the 
service. He must be eiMiteen before he could be received. So 
he had no pay, no position, and no hope of either. He gavewa)- 
U) the accumulation of disappointments and ills, and grew pale, 
emaciated, depressed, and had barely strength enough to drag 
himself once in a while from his t(Mit. 



A CHANGE OF FRONT. 123 

One day the major came in with good news. 

"Jack," said the officer, "brighten up ; I have word from head- 
quarters that will be better than medicine for you. The division 
suro-eon tells me I must leave this retrion for a little while or I 
will die. Get ready at once. General Sherman has strongly 
indorsed my application for leave of absence, and I think it will 
be here so that we can leave by the steamer to-morrow after- 
noon. Cheer up, my boy, we have another chance for life." 

The news was a tonic for Jack. In a day or two the expected 
leave arrived, and the two rode down to the Landing. As they 
left the camp they said good-bye — gladly, for it was the hope of 
life that took them away ; sorrowfully, for there was a proba- 
bility that they might not return to their comrades in that part 
of the army. An offer of a higher commission in the eastern 
armies had been made to the major, and he was seriously con- 
sidering it. 

They embarked on the steamer at Pittsburgh Landing just 
before the evacuation of Corinth, barely missing that stirring in- 
cident, and with hope and cheer turned their faces away from 
the muddy and malarious trenches in which they had been living 
for weeks, toward rest and health and home in the North. 

At Cairo the major left the boy and went east. Jack was to 
eo on to St. Louis and await orders, and see that the horses were 
properly taken care of 

It was not lone before he received directions to come on after 
the major, who had just been commissioned colonel of one of 
the best regiments of Pennsylvania infantry, the Eighty-fourth. 
The organization had been broken down and wasted to a skeleton 
by hard fighting and toilsome marching, and the new colonel was 
authorized to recruit it full again. 

This was good news to the boy, who had been restored to 
health and had regained his strength, and was glad at the pros- 



124 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

pect of seeing his friends once more at home. He saw, too, in 
this new situation a hope of seeing service as a real soldier. 

Down the Mississippi to Cairo, and up the beautiful Ohio, 
by vineclad hills and charming tracts of lowland and splendid 
cities and thriving villages, opening his eyes wide at the enter- 
prise and commerce and business life that " boomed " everywhere 
in the journey — thus the boy traversed the rivers by steamer 
until at last the dim and distant mountains of Pennsylvania rose 
in the horizon. Then he was at home. He had been homesick 
as much to see the Alleghenies as to meet his relatives. The first 
glimpse that he had of them thrilled him to his finger ends with 
a wild, strange delirium of joy. 

He found at Alexandria, Va., the regiment with which his 
fate was to be henceforth connected. It had been cut to 
pieces in the valley of the Shenandoah, had lost many of its offi- 
cers by sickness and wounds and capture, and had seen its gal- 
lant Colonel Murray killed at Winchester. The new commander. 
Colonel Bowman, was ordered to fill it up by new recruits and 
then lead it into the field. 

The first order that Jack received on arrival at the camp was 
to go home and commence recruiting operations. He had no 
time to look around, make the acquaintance of officers or men, 
or inquire how he would like his new military relatives, but hur- 
ried off to begin his labors. 

Camp Curtin.at Harrisburg, was the rendezvous for recruits 
in the eastern part of the State. The soldiers who there saw 
their first experience in martial affairs will not easily forget it. 

All sorts of officers and men, of different shapes and sizes, 
good, bad, neutral, indifferent, were massed here together on 
their way to the front. Patriotic youths, burning with zeal and 
ardor for their country and llag, here lay down in tlie same l)iink 
witli bount)' jumpers, who had enlisted for the sake of the extra 



A CHANGE OF FRONT. 125 

five or six hundred dollars offered in some quarters at that time 
for recruits, and who, a few hours after they had received the 
greenbacks, would doff their uniforms, put on citizens' clothes, 
and walk off to the depot and soon be over the hills and far 
away. 

Here were a few regular army officers, prim and cultivated, 
trying to shape things into order and regularity ; and here were 
hundreds of fresh volunteer officers utterly ignorant in their 
inexperience of everything connected with the army or mili- 
tary life. 

Shrewd rascals who saw in the war a good opportunity to 
make money were here by the hundred, on the watch for pick- 
ings and stealings, and likewise men, young and old, who were 
looking for positions of honor and good pay somewhere that 
would not require them to risk their lives in battle. Thou- 
sands of soldiers, raw recruits, or trained veterans from the Army 
of the Potomac, going, coming, drilling, shamming, stealing, 
working, receiving and distributing clothes, tents, arms, and 
accouterments, made up a scene of endless and perplexing con- 
fusion. 

Durinof that hot summer of '62 the loner street leadinof out 
to the camp was half knee-deep with dust a good part of the 
time. Tramp, tramp, back and forth, night and day, with fife 
and drum and bands to diversify and enliven the occasions at 
times, were heard the feet of the volunteers of Pennsylvania 
along this highway, and through the terrible heat and the choking 
dust. 

Jack found his friends in Columbia County interested in his 
plans. His schoolmates, and many older ones, seeing his uni- 
form, hearing his experience, knowing the fame of the regiment 
that he now belonged to, and taking a just pride in the name 
of the new commander, joined heartily in the project. In a short 



120 WHAT A IJOV SAW IN THE ARMY. 

time Jack had the pleasure of seeing parts of three companies 
on their way to the command, enhsted in part by his instru- 
mentahty. 

Back and forth to and from Camp Curtin he traveled many 
times in this sometimes tedious and sometimes ludicrous busi- 
ness. He saw men at the; camp who had no front teeth and who, 
therefore, could not possibly bite oft the end of the cartridges 
in loading thcAr muskets, and others who were blind in one eye, 
or lame, or half deaf, and hence were not fit for soldiers at all ; 
and yet in some way they had passed muster and were on their 
way to their regiments. 

"Jim," said the boy one day to one of these nondescript 
recruits, " how did you manage to pass the surgeon's examina- 
tion ? He has no right to accept men with a game leg and no 
upper teeth. Did you pay him to pass you, or straighten out 
your leg for the occasion and put in a new set of teeth and fool 
the doctor — or how ? " 

" Well, to tell the truth for once," said the fellow, " I did not 
see the surgeon at all. We were all in the barracks together, 
and when my name was called the lieutenant, who was very 
anxious to make up a certain number so that he would get his 
commission and was bound not to lose me, said he'd fix it all 
right. So he had Sam Champlin go in and answer to my name; 
and Sam, you know, is as big and strong as a bull, and the sur- 
geon said, as soon as he looked at him, ' O, you'll do ; pass out 
and send in the next man.' And so my name was checked off." 

" Well, but how (lid Sam pass for himself? " 

" O, easily enough. The lieutenant waited till the assistant 
surgeon was on duty, and then he had Sam's name called, and 
he went in and was examined and came out (). K." 

Drinking was common everywhere. The city was full of 
concert saloons and drinking j)laces of all grades in full blast. 



A CHANGE OF FRONT. 



137 



Among the recruits were two brothers from the backwoods, 
both of them raw, green, awkward, and uncouth. They were 
made the butt of sport on all sides. The older one's name was 
Reuben, and the younger lad clung to him persistently and was 
not willinor to be for a sinorle moment without him. 

One afternoon Reuben went down into the city while his 
brother was asleep. By and by the barracks were filled with a 
strange bel- 
lowingsound. 
Scores of sol- 
d i e r s were 
alarmed by it, 
and t h e \' ^.^ , - 
came flocking ^^^^ 
in from all di- 
rections, cry- 
ing, " What's 
wrong here 1 
Is anybody 
being killed ? 
What's the 
matter 1 " 

The poor, 
lonely, home- 
sick youth from the mountains sat blubbering on the edge 
of his bunk. He had waked from his nap and found himself 
deserted by his big brother, and alone among thousands of rough 
and strange men in the great camp; and at once he bawled out 
so that the barracks were at first alarmed and then convulsed 
with laughter, " O, where's Reuben } I don't want to be a sol- 
dier no more ! I want my brother ! Where's Reuben ? I want 
to o-Q home ! " 




" O, WHKKE'S REUliEN?" 



128 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

The summer sped away, and at its close Jack found that he 
had done about all the recruitin^^ that was possible for that sea- 
son, and accordingly he reported with his last squad of men at 
Harrisburg at the office of the Superintendent of Recruiting Serv- 
ice, Captain R. I. Dodge, proud of his success and anxious to 
be sent off to the regiment, then with the Army of the Potomac, 
on its way down into Virginia. While the recruits w^aited on 
the pavement outside the office — at that time in Market Square 
— the boy went in and reported. He found the adjutant. Lieu- 
tenant Liedtke, a young Prussian officer, in charge of the place, 
a stickler for etiquette and a rigid believer in red tape and in the 
most stringent military proprieties. The following conversation 
took place : 

Jack. — " Lieutenant, I have brought a squad of recruits, from 
Columbia County, for the Eighty-fourth Pc:nnsylvania Volun- 
teers," 

The Lieutenant. — " Recruits from Columbia County ? Who 
enlisted them ? " 

yack. — "I did a part of the \vork, sir. Mr. Forrester, who 
expects to be commissioned in the regiment, is with us, and he 
did the rest." 

The Lieutenant. — " Do you belong to the regiment ? " 

Jack. — "Yes, sir; or at least I expect to when I join it." 

TJic Lieutenant. — "What authority have you for being ab- 
sent from the regiment and engaging in recruiting service?" 

Jack. — " Mere is my original order from Colonel Bowman, 
the commander of the Eighty-fourth." 

The lieutenant took the paper, glanced at it, and in anger 
replied: "This is no authority whatever. You are absent from 
your regiment without leave. I will arrest you and send you to 
the guard house. No one has any right to enlist men in this 
State without authority from the governor or from these head- 



A CHANGE OF FRONT. 



129 



quarters. We are going to stop these irregularities." And with 
the words the officer tapped the bell at his side and summoned 
a sentry, in order to put into execution his threat. 

The boy was now thoroughly frightened and deeply humili- 
ated. His men were at the door waiting for orders to proceed to 
the camp, and here he found himself in the predicament of hav- 
i n or enlisted 
them without 
due authority 
and in danger 
of arrest. 
What would 
become of 
them? How 
would he get 
out of this dif- 
ficulty } He ^ 
began to pro- 
test and ex- 
plain and ap- 
peal ; but the 
officer was 
impatient 
and would 




"YOU ARE ABSENT FROM YOUR REGIMENT WITHOUT LEAVE 



hear nothing, 

breaking in on Jack's entreaties with the surly reply, "You are 
away from your regiment without authority. No colonel has a 
rieht to send a man off on recruitinor service. You are under 
arrest, sir." 

Just then Jack noticed a trim, soldierly-looking noncommis- 
sioned officer who had been occupied at a desk in the room come 

forward and speak with the lieutenant. While the two con- 
9 



130 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

versed the boy saw that they were talking about him, and he 
wondered what they were saying. Soon the sergeant came to 
Jack and said, " Are these men for the Eighty-fourth ?" 

" Of course they are," was Jack's reply. " You recall Lieuten- 
ant Jackson, who was on duty as recruiting officer in Columbia 
County early in the summer. I was of his party, and after 
helping him with his work I stayed, at Colonel Bowman's 
direction, to help Lieutenant Forrester recruit his squad. Here 
is the letter of the colonel." 

The sergeant looked at the letter, and then said, " Let us go 
to the door and glance at the men." While he stood there, 
noting that the recruits were of a good class, and satisfying him- 
self that the representations made by the boy were correct, he 
whispered, " My name is Sergeant Mather. I have been in this 
office, detailed as a clerk, for some weeks, but I belong to the 
Eighty-fourth, and expect to be sent back to the regiment soon. 
The adjutant is a rigid disciplinarian, and is impatient with any- 
thing like irregularity. I will see that you do not suff'er. I 
think I can persuade him not to carry out his threats. Just 
keep yourself in check a little while and it will be all right." 
With these encouracrino: words Serijeant Mather returned to 
tackle his superior officer, the irascible lieutenant ; and in a few 
moments he came out from the inner office bearing with a look 
of triumph a paper which he handed to Jack. The boy looked at 
it and was delighted to fmd it a pass for admittance to Camp 
Curtin with his recruits and an order for immediate transpor- 
tation to Washington en route for the Army of the Potomac. 
With a glad and grateful heart the boy shook hands with Ser- 
geant Mather, thanking him for the services rendered in this try- 
ing hour,and hurried out to take charge of his men and conduct 
them to th(; camp. This was the beginning of a lifelong com- 
radeship with Sergeant Mather, who in a little while after that 



A CHANGE OF FRONT. 131 

became the adjutant of the Eighty-fourth — comradeship welded 
in due season by common experiences at the bivouac fire, on the 
march, and in battle. 

Finally, late in November, 1862, the whole party was sent 
out from Camp Curtin, and after shifting about from one camp 
to another, and making some bewildering journeys by rail, by 
steamer, and on foot, they found the Eighty-fourth Pennsylvania 
Volunteers encamped near Falmouth, Va., opposite Fredericks- 
burg, in the Third Army Corps. 

The new recruits were received with some curiosity, with 
some raillery for their evident greenness, with some familiar re- 
marks about the " awkward squad," and yet with a right soldierly 
welcome, after all. 

Soon after the arrival of the detachment, and while Jack was 
wondering what was to become of him, the colonel summoned 
him into his presence at headquarters and surprised and glad- 
dened his heart by some amazing information : 

" My boy, you have been wondering all through this work 
which you have done what your fate is to be in the new 
command. You have now served for an entire year without 
place or pay in the army. You have worked hard and received 
nothing for it but experience. I have been watching your con- 
duct, and I now have the pleasure of telling you that you have 
fairly earned a commission by your services in recruiting the 
regiment. I did not promise you this, for I did not know that I 
could give it to you. But a vacancy has occurred which you can 
fill, and I am glad to be able to tell you that you are now Lieu- 
tenant Sanderson, of the Eighty-fourth Pennsylvania Volunteers. 
I wish you success and honor in your new position." 

The boy was taken aback by this announcement. He had 
hoped all along that by and by he might get a commission, but 
he had not dared to expect it so soon. He could hardly contain 



I') Si 



WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 



himself, but, smothering his joy as best he could, and trying not 
to cret top-heavy on account of his promotion, he reported to his 
new captain and was assigned to duty at once. He got a new uni- 
form, took pride in seeing his shoulder straps attached for the first 
time to their place, girded his sword about his waist, went into 
the study of the infantry tactics, began to post himself in the 
duties of the new place, and was at once at home among the 
noble fellows who made up the command. 

The camp was at Stoneman's Switch, on the railroad from 
Acquia Creek to Fredericksburg. No one knew what would be 
the plans of the new commander of the army, General Burnside, 
who had just relieved General McClellan. Fredericksburg was 
a mighty strpnghold that lay directly across the path to Rich- 
mond. Whether it was to be flanked by going around on one 
side or the other, or whether it was to be stormed by assault in 
front, no one could tell. 

For a little while the Army of the Potomac lay there on 
the plains of Falmouth, in the vicinity of Washington's early 
home, witli the rebels gathering in force every day in their front. 
They performed picket dut)-, made some preparation for winter 
quarters, drilled daily on the hills and across the fields, and 
waited for orders. At last came the marching orders, and then 
everybody connected with the army knew that there was to be 
made a desperate struggle for the heights of the city of Freder- 
icksburof and the road to Richmond. 




THE HEIGHTS OF FREDERICKSBURG. 



133 



CHAPTER VIII. 



THE HEIGHTS OF FREDERICKSBURG. 




^J1"pT N Wednesday morning, De- 
cember ID, there was a stir 
in the camp. Soon after 
breakfast, while some officers 
were topfether in the head- 
quarters of the company to 
which Jack had been as- 
signed, Captain Bryan came 
in with a look of seriousness 
on his face. 

" Boys, I have news for 
you," was his first remark. 
" What is it, captain } 
Are we going to move again 
' on to Richmond ? ' " was the in- 
quiry of one of the group. 

" I think we are croino; to have 
another fight. General Stoneman has ordered the corps to be 
leady to move to-night, at an hour's notice, any time after sunset. 
We are to leave our tents and baggage and knapsacks behind, 
and are to take along four days' cooked rations and sixty rounds 
of cartridges per man." 

" That means that we are to attack Fredericksburg," said the 
other. " It will be a desperate struggle if we have to storm the 



134 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

rebel position there. I was out at the river yesterday to get a 
gHmpscof it. Be ready to score one more for Robert Lee if we 
tr)- it." 

" Do not lose heart so early, captain. We are bound to win 
at last." 

" Yes, at last we shall win ; but I am tired of this folly, 
— and it is simply folly to butt your head up against such hills 
and forts as the rebels have on the other side of the river. I will 
stand to my duty right through if I die for it, but I think it is 
nothing less than murder to try such a mad scheme as that which 
seems before us. Good-bye." And the officer went out to pre- 
pare for the forward move. 

Captain JBryan turned to Lieutenant Sanderson and said, " I 
wish you would go to Quartermaster Kephart and get this 
requisition filled for shoes and blankets. We must see that the 
men are as comfortable as they can be made while on this 
march. Orderly Sergeant Simmons, I want you to inspect the 
guns this afternoon and have every piece in perfect trim. Draw 
the rations and have them distributed, and see to it that the men 
are ready to march at an hour's notice." 

The boy went at once upon his errand, procured and issued 
the clothing, and helped to get the company ready for a forward 
move. 

The feelings of soldiers under such circumstances can hardly 
be described. Thoughts of absent friends, of distant loved ones 
in their far-off homes, of the possibilities of the battle, of the dan- 
gers and hardships, the wounds and imprisonment and death, that 
must shortly overtake many of their number, along with a thou- 
sand other wild and excited fancies, rush through the mind. 

The night came, l)ut no orders were received to move. Tat- 
too was sounded at the usual hour, and the regiment went to 
sleep knowing that it might have to spring out of bed in the 



THE HEIGHTS OF FREDERICKSBURG. 135 

middle of the night and march toward the expected field of 
battle. Accordingly, at two the next morning a courier came 
from the headquarters of General Carroll, the brigade commander, 
summonincr the forces to start out on the march at four o'clock. 
The camp was astir at once, the coffee was soon boiling, the pork 
was fried, a hasty snack was eaten, and in the dark, chilly, early 
morning the brigade set out for the river. On the way, before 
sunrise, the sound of the cannon was heard booming in front. 
The boys said all along the line, " The fun has begun ; the 
Johnnies are up early too." 

On the road Colonel Bowman met an aid of General Whip- 
ple, the division commander, and asked him, " Captain, what is 
the outlook } Have you any news about the situation ? What 
is going on in front .?" 

The officer replied with a significant look and a shrug of the 
shoulders, and added, " There is trouble ahead. General Burn- 
side is determined to charcre the heicrhts of Fredericksbure. No 
army can carry the works in front. It is madness to try it. His 
pioneer corps have just been trying to lay the pontoon bridges, 
and have been so annoyed and delayed by the rebel sharpshoot- 
ers in the houses along the bank of the river on that side that the 
general has ordered the town to be shelled in order to drive the 
fellows out of their hiding places. I do not know what the up- 
shot will be. I wish we were all well out of It." 

" When do you think we shall be able to cross.?" asked the 
colonel. 

" Nobody knows. It all depends on getting down the 
bridges. If that attempt succeeds we may get to work in earnest 
this afternoon. For the present General Whipple desires the 
men to halt and make themselves comfortable." 

The region was full of rolling hills and ravines, with here and 
there a clump of trees, and it had a cheerless, desolate look that 



13(1 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

winter morning-. The country all around was stripped of fences, 
outbuildings, fruit trees, and indeed everything that was destruc- 
tible. Each army in turn had overrun the territory, the inhab- 
itants had nearly all abandoned their homes, which stood bleak, 
deserted, and comfortless, all except those that were occupied 
as headquarters by commanding- officers. 

The troops threw themselves down on the ground near the 
Phillips house, after stacking arms, and many of them, in spite 
of the cannonade not far away, w^ere soon asleep. 

About noon Colonel Bowman returned from the river bank, 
where he had been exploring the situation. At once a bevy of 
officers, Jack among them, gathered about him to hear the news. 
The colonel said : " Our cruns are damacfinof the town somewhat, 
but we have not dislodged the sharpshooters yet. I watched the 
work of trying to lay the pontoons, and offered the services of 
my regiment to take the boats over if w^e were needed. What 
do you say to it, Major Opp } Would the men undertake such 
a task ? " 

The major, a modest, gentle, cultivated man, and withal as 
brave a soldier as ever lived, replied w^ith a smile, " O yes, 
colonel, they would follow wherever you would lead them, but 
I do not think they are hankering after the perilous enterprise. 
Was your offer accepted 7 " 

" No, it has not been yet, but maybe we shall hear from it b\- 
and by. I told General Whipple w^e would attempt it should he 
give the order, and that I was confident that we could do it, 
hard and dangerous as it appears. All that is wanted is a sud- 
den dash across the stream that will surprise the rebels; but 
that, to be sure, is difficult enough while they have their sharp 
eyes at a thousand loopholes along the bank." 

\n tlie afternoon Jack and some of his friends started out to 
sec for themselves what was [souv^ on alon<-- the river. After a 



THE HEIGHTS OF FREDERICKSBURG. 139 

walk of half an hour they found themselves on the edge of a high 
bluff overlooking the Rappahannock. All about them were bat- 
teries shelling the town. Fredericksburg, pretty, old-fashioned, 
staid, and aristocratic, lay at their feet on the banks opposite, 
which were considerably lower than the point where they stood. 

Away down the river, two or three miles off, could be plainly 
seen the bridge that had been thrown across by Franklin's men, 
while all around, behind the bluffs, and screened from observa- 
tion, were the Union troops waiting for the completion of the 
bridge at the town so that the crossing might be made at both 
places at once. 

Near by was a large balloon, which was occupied by a couple 
of signal officers. They had just ascended several hundred feet, 
and were steadied and held by ropes at that height so that they 
might, if possible, discover and report what the Confederates 
were doing. 

Captain Dalton, of General Whipple's staff, was present, 
and he indicated the different places of interest. "Yonder," 
said he, pointing toward General Franklin's men, " is the left of 
our line. That is one of the places where an attack is to be 
made. The hills that lie back of the region in the vicinity of 
the pontoon bridge which they have made will be stormed by 
the men lying on the shore ; if you look sharply you can see 
them now. Then in this other direction, off to our right, is an- 
other point to be attacked, the hill of St. Marye. That will 
have to be assaulted too. And in our front yonder, just back of 
the town, are ridges which must be taken in the same way. The 
rebels will surely not come down out of their strong forts to 
meet us in the open plain, and if we want to get at them we 
must climb the heights, if they will permit it. The struggle must 
be a terrific one. I do not see how anyone can escape. The 
place ought to be flanked." 



140 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

No troops of the enemy could be discerned, but the fortifica- 
tions could be plainly traced. A circle of hills, rising one above 
another like the seats of an amphitheater, almost surrounded the 
place. These heights, commencing near the river, some distance 
east of Fredericksburg, swept nearly around the town in an 
almost unbroken half-circle, jutting out toward the stream again 
on the lower side. The village was thus shut completely in on 
every side except in front, and here it was defended by the Rap- 
pahannock. The hills were crowned with forts, lined and fur- 
rowed with intrenchments, pitted and pock-marked with batteries. 
Nowhere could anyone discover a position that seemed assail- 
able by direct assault. 

" Yonder is the spot where we may lie to-morrow waiting for 
some one to come and bury us," was the half-serious, half-jesting 
remark of one of the officers. 

" What do you think of the site, captain } " was the response 
in the same vein. 

"Those hills have a good exposure for a vineyard, and they 
afford a good site for a cemetery, too ; but, boys, I am not over- 
anxious to rest my bones over yonder. I prefer the graveyard 
at home. I have a lot there, and if I am to have any choice in 
the matter I would prefer Pennsylvania to Dixie as a burial 
place." 

" O, stop all this talk about funerals and graveyards !" was the 
exclamation of a jolly lieutenant, whose spirits were always in a 
ferment of gayety ; "you'll take all the cheerfulness out of the 
command and throw a coldness over the meeting if you go on 
in this way. Halloo! see there! Now there is going to be a 
scene worth looking at. Hurrah, boys, look at that ! That is 
the way to begin to put down the pontoons. It is worth while 
being buried in Dixie to do a gallant deed like that." 

F.very eye was at once directed to the river beneath, while 



THE HEIGHTS OF FREDERICKSBURG. 141 

the effervescent lieutenant poured out his soul in his fervid way 
in emphatic exclamations of admiration and enthusiasm at the 
sio-ht. A party of men was about crossing the river in pontoon 
boats right in the face of the fierce and rattling fire of the rebels ! 

It had been found impossible to drive out the Confederates 
by shells or minie balls from the houses where they had secreted 
themselves on the other side. There the riflemen stayed, 
picking off our men, and preventing work on the pontoons, and 
delaying the advance of the whole army. After cannonading 
the town General Burnside at last selected a trusty band of men 
and ordered them to make a dash across in boats, and, by a sud- 
den attack and charge up the hill, to expel the sharpshooters 
from their refuges. This order w^as just being obeyed when 
Jack and his friends stood on the hill and w^atched the sight. 

Several pontoon boats were lying at the bank. Suddenly, 
and without any word of command being heard, nearly a hun- 
dred men rushed out from a place of concealment, jumped into 
the boats, thrust out from the shore, and were one third of the 
way over the river before the rebels realized what was being 
done. The aim of the rifles from every loophole and casement 
and house along the stream was concentrated on the party at 
once. Bullets whistled and hissed and rattled all about them. 
But the gallant fellows threw up boards as shelter, hid them- 
selves in the boats as best they could, except those who had to 
row, and thus in the face of the musketry fire they swiftly crossed 
the stream, a few of them being shot on the way. 

Touching the shore, those who were unhurt rose from their 
places in the boats, leaped out into the water or upon the land, 
and ran up the hills and into the houses whence the fire had come. 
The rebels evacuated their strongholds and ran up into the town, 
and at once the way was clear for the engineer corps to go on 
and finish the bridofe. 



142 



WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 



Strong boats, quite flat, about twenty feet long, were anchored 
in the stream a few feet apart, lengthwise with the current. 
Upon these were placed beams or girders to join them together, 
and across these girders planks were laid so as to make a road- 
way about ten feet wide and strong enough to l)car horses, 
cannon, and the tread of a multitude of men. In order to hasten 







BULLETS WHISTLED AND HISSED AMD RATTLED ALL ABOUT THEM. 



matters llic engineers would build two or three boats in sections, 
with girders and i)lanks complete, above the bridge and then 
float thcMii down and out into position. Thus three or four 
gangs could work at once. 

They were not allowed to do all this without annoyance and 
disturbance from the enemy. The rebels tried, by dropping their 
shells miscellaneously in different directions along the river froni 



THE HEIGHTS OF FREDERICKSBURG. 143 

the forts behind the town, to put an end to the work. Some of 
the bombs struck close to the pontoons, others exploded just over 
the heads of those who were at work, but luckily none happened 
to hit the bridge itself. On the other hand, it was clearly to be 
seen that the Union artillerists were not idle, for the air was 
heavy with the smoke of their guns, which lined the bluff for 
two or three miles along the river. Immediately opposite the 
town the cannon were aimed at the houses which had sheltered 
the rebel sharpshooters, and some of these places of refuge had 
been pretty well battered, while here and there a dwelling was 
on fire ; other batteries were shooting across the pretty little 
city at the fortified hills beyond. Once in awhile a Confederate 
shell would come flying over town and river, to explode among 
the cTuns that lined the banks on which the Union batteries had 
been planted. Altogether it was a scene of confusion, excite- 
ment, and tumult that the boy looked upon, that hour when the 
battlefield of Fredericksburg first flashed in bird's-eye view before 
his tremulous vision. 

That night the brigade to which the boy belonged bivouacked 
on the ground not far away from the upper pontoon bridge, 
anxiously wondering what the morning would have in store for 
them. 

After breakfast on Friday the brigade of Carroll started 
down to the river. They marched along the brink, the fog 
concealing the other shore, and had just reached the pontoons 
when boom ! whiz ! came a Confederate shell. It was the sig- 
nal for a general cannonade, which was answered by the Union 
guns. The rebel shots came so near the bridge as to endanger 
it, and the command was ordered back behind the hills again. 

Early Saturday morning the boys were up and stirring about 
again in the fog. The firing had already begun. The attack 
had been made upon the rebel intrenchments by the troops 



144- WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

already on the other side, and orders were received for the bri- 
gade to cross the river and join in the action. 

On the way over Jack noticed here and there packs of cards 
and empty whisky bottles strewn by the roadside. Those who 
in camp and at rest liked to pass the time in seeking recreation 
by the use of cards and liquor did not relish the idea of being 
shot, or of dying, with packs of the one or flasks of the other on 
their persons. So they cast them aside as they marched to the 
battlefield. 

Down to the bridge the command marched again, and this 
time they were led across the river. " Boys, we are in for it 
now," said the soldiers one to another. " There is no getting 
out of this. The die is cast. Once more we are to meet the 
rebels." 

As they crossed an aid came galloping up with news from the 
left. General Franklin had advanced against the hill, had not 
been supported aright, and had been pressed back again to the 
river. The sounds of a fearful struggle were heard still in that 
direction. 

Now the firing grew heavier and louder just back of the town. 
As the troops marched over the bridge and up into the town 
their faces looked serious enough. Here and there, however, 
was some irrepressible joker, who, even amid such circumstances, 
would keep all about him in a roar of laughter. One of these 
was the lieutenant who had called the attention of his comrades 
to the building of the bridge. He kept up a running comment 
all the while — " Who would not be a soldier ? Terms, ' thirteen 
dollars a month, and found ' — dead on the field ! Come on, 
boys, we are going to make a friendly call on our old friend 
Bobby Lee, and renew the pleasure of his acquaintance. Do 
you hear the music?" (The rattle and crash of the battle had 
by this time become awful.) "Now, that is mc^lody indeed! 



THE HEIGHTS OF FREDERICKSBURG. Uo 

They are getting up a ball for our special delectation. They 
have started a regular dancing tune — the Confederate waltz, the 
Fredericksburg polka, the Stonewall Jackson round dance, all in 
one. The ball has opened. Choose your partners." At the 
top of the hill, along one of the principal streets, the command 
was halted for a while. While awaiting orders the joker said to 
the colonel of the regiment, with a serious air, and in tones loud 
enough to be heard by all about him: "Colonel Bowman, I have 
a special favor to ask of you. I want you to excuse me from 
duty for the rest of the day. I have a sad errand to perform. 
I desire to pay my respects to the locality where the mother of 
the lamented Washington died. I believe the good old lady took 
her departure in 1789 from this ancient village; and I would like 
to embrace this opportunity to hunt up the spot, meditate on 
her virtues, and ponder the illustrious events that have taken 
place in our land since her decease. Besides, I think a change 
of location just now would be good for my health. This is a 
malarious region, and I have to be very careful." 

The colonel replied to the joker in a like vein, in spite of the 
depressing surroundings, saying, " I am very glad to find you 
so patriotic and sentimental. If you are anxious to ponder the 
virtues of the mother of General Washington, then I can expe- 
dite your desires, if you will stay with the regiment, for it looks 
now as though, at the rate the battle is going, we would be in 
the neighborhood of her monument within the next fifteen min- 
utes ! That, I understand, is just between the two lines of bat- 
tle, on the hill back of the town. If you can repress your ardor 
for a brief interval, and if your sentimentalism will stand the 
strain of the occasion, you will have the chance of meditating 
on her example and influence right in the thick of the fight on 
the front line within the next half hour ! " 

At this sally of droUness everybody laughed ; but just then 
10 



146 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

the musketry firing became more frightful, shells began to 
drop in the streets, and wounded men came trooping by from 
the front, so that it required all the nerve and courage of the 
very bravest to keep cool and self-possessed under the circum- 
stances. 

The brigade was somewhat sheltered by the houses while in 
the town, but every man knew that in a few moments they might 
be ordered out into the open fields behind the village, where the 
works would have to be stormed, and the dreadful heights faced 
and assaulted, and the very thought was a trying one. 

The mounted officers all sent their horses to the rear, as the 
fire was too deadly to be ventured into except afoot. The air 
in the streets of the deserted town resounded with the cannon- 
ade, making each explosion seem like the reverberations of half 
a dozen guns. Houses, windows, doors, and alleys repeated and 
reechoed the thunders of the cannon, making the effects still 
more unnerving and awful. 

While they were halted in the upper streets Colonel Bowman 
sent for Jack and said: " Lieutenant, take this message down to 
headquarters at the river. Deliver it and bring back the answer 
as soon as you can. I do not know where we shall be ; you will 
have to hunt us up. Tell the brigade surgeon that General 
Carroll directs him to send the ambulance corps to this point to 
await instructions." 

The boy took the dispatch and hastened to deliver it. The 
streets by this time were confused and crowded with batteries, 
ammunition wagons, regiments moving to the front, wounded 
men hurrying to the rear. Into the midst of the mass once in a 
while a shell would drop from the Confederate batteries, creating 
havoc and a dreadful scatterment in the vicinity of the explo- 
sion. The firing meanwhile had become more terrible, the clouds 
of smoke from the guns gathered all about darkcMiing the sky and 



THE HEIGHTS OF FREDERICKSBURG. 147 

filling the air with the odor of gunpowder. The whole scene 
resembled a dream of the lower regions. 

Jack, after dispatching his errand, climbed the hill again and 
proceeded to the spot where he had left the regiment. It was 
nowhere to be seen. The streets in that part of the town were 
deserted. Now and then for a moment a soldier would appear 
and then suddenly vanish. Jack soon found out the reason — 
the Confederates were sweeping the streets with artillery, having 
secured the range of them from the hills beyond. 

The boy ventured back to the edge of the town, and there he 
saw an appalling sight. The heights around the place were 
wreathed and fringed with fire and smoke. On every bluff and 
ridge about the whole amphitheater of hills cannon were ranged, 
which were all firing at once. Down in the hollow — in the pit 
of the theater, as it were — scattered here and there over the 
uneven ground, were detachments of Union troops, the focus of 
observation and aim from every standpoint on the heights. 
From all directions at once a rain of fire and death was sweep- 
ing in upon them. 

As Jack surveyed the scene he saw a wounded man from his 
regiment hurry along with his hand bleeding and tied up in a 
bandage. " Tom," shouted the boy, " where is the command ? 
How can I reach it .-^ " 

" You cannot get to them now," was the reply. " They are 
in a railway cut out yonder. We made a little dash across the 
open space from one cut to the other, and so escaped the front 
fire of the rebels. You cannot reach them now. The whole plain 
is swept by the guns from the hills out there. Nothing can be 
done this evening, anyway. Do not go ; it is sure death to 
try It. 

Jack stopped and looked about him. While making ready to 
venture forth, in spite of the warnings he had received, he saw an 



148 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

officer some distance off whose actions were queer and suspicious, 
hidden away behind an old outbuilding. With pallid face, and 
his body trembling and shaking as if with the palsy, with furtive 
glances the fellow looked hastily around to find out whether any- 
one was noticing him. Not seeing any observer, he took out his 
pistol, fixed it in position, took aim at his own arm, and fired ! 
He had so aimed the piece as to make simply a trifling flesh 
wound. At once, with the blood streaming down to his hand, 
and dripping and smeared on his clothes, he started to the rear, 
holding his arm and making a great ado about the bullet that 
had gone through it ! Jack watched him with disgust and curi- 
osity, and then said to himself, " Well, I think I am about as 
much afraid as I well can be, but I do hope I will never so far 
forget myself as to fire a bullet into my own flesh in order to 
keep out of a battle ! Phew ! what a story of danger and dis- 
aster that fellow will have to tell ! " 

Just then he saw another officer, this time one whom he 
knew as belonging to a neighboring regiment, staggering loosely 
along in a limp, disjointed sort of way, looking as if his back- 
bone had been taken out of its place and his flesh was trying to 
get along by itself without the aid of the spinal column. 

" Halloo, Dick, what is the matter.?" said the boy. 

" O, my old complaint has come back on me. I am deathly 
sick ; I can hardly stand ; I have pains all over me ; I feel faint ; 
I'm afraid I'll die if I do not get relief I wonder where I can 
find a surgeon. Have you a little whisky about you } I think 
if I had a good drink of ' commissary ' it would help me along 
until I get to the hospital." 

" No, I have no liquor," said the bo)-. " Wliere is your regi- 
ment.? Why are you not with them .^ When did this attack 
come on ? " 

"O, just a while ago. I was with my command till we came 



THE HEIGHTS OF FREDERICKSBURG. 149 

here, and then I was seized with this attack and overcome. I 
guess I must have fainted. O, dear, I am getting the cramp, too. 
I guess it is an attack of bilious colic ; I used to get that terri- 
ble when I was a boy." 

And as he spoke he doubled himself up convulsively and 
groaned with 

agony. Great ( 

bead s o f p e rsp i- , ' .. vls 

ration stood on 
h i s forehead, 
and the throbs 
of his heart 
could be dis- 
tinctly heard. 

Jack looked 
at the poor 
sufferer with 
pity. He saw 
the truth in the 
case ; the man 
was deathly 
sick — with 
cowardice. He 
was not merely 

snammmg; ne as he spokr he doubled himsrlf up convulsivki.y and groaned 

was in mortal '''''" ^^'^^y- 

fear, almost dead with fright. He had succumbed to his terrors, 

and was now beside himself with anoruish and dread. 

" If I were you," said Jack, " I would try to rejoin my regi- 
ment. It will not be a good thing for your record to be sick at 
such a time as this. Cheer up and go back. You will get over 
this by and by." 




150 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

"O no, I won't. It is killing- me. I cannot stand it. The 
pain is eating my very insides out. Oh-h-h-h ! " he groaned. 

"Well," said Jack, "good-bye. I am going to find my com- 
mand if I can." 

Just as the boy started he heard increased sounds of battle 
off on the right, and looking in that direction he saw the hills oc- 
cupied by the enemy burst forth into flame, as though their very 
crests had become one vast volcanic crater. The Confederate 
troops were on the top of a steep and fortified hill around which 
skirted an old sunken road, like that which Victor Hugo imagines 
to have existed at Waterloo, dug out of the side of the ridge 
and walled up on its outer edge. Behind this wall the foe had 
lain, invisible and impregnable. Jack had seen Humphreys's 
division, made up in good part of men who had never before 
been in battle, march out in that direction earlier in the after- 
noon, and now they were in the act of charging the invincible 
hill crested with the stone wall. Their magnificent leader, losing 
one horse after another in the awful fight, leading his men on in a 
vainly heroic attempt to carry out the insane " demand " of 
Hooker and Burnside that " the hill be taken before night," had 
ordered all the officers to the front, had forbidden the troops to 
fire, and had commanded a bayonet charge. With a valor and 
steadiness never surpassed on any battlefield, his brave men 
obeyed orders, charging again and again, some of them get- 
ting within thirty steps of the w^all and dying on the bloody 
slope. The division melted away as the boy looked upon it, 
dissolving into nothing under the dreadful fire of the enemy, 
which now at last covered the scene from view. The broken 
remnant of Humphreys's men rallied again and again, but 
their effort was vain. Half their number lay on the ground, 
dead or smitten wlili fearful wounds, and their comrades, re- 
pulsed but unclisma)-ed, coolly fell back, shouting and singing, to 



THE HEIGHTS OF FREDERICKSBURG. 151 

a point where the roHing hill would somewhat shelter them, to 
wait for orders. 

One of Jack's friends, Charles Beaver, told the boy afterward 
this incident of that charge. He said: "I was shot down during 
our advance, and fell bleeding to the earth, unable to move. 
When our boys fell back I was, of course, left behind. I lay there 
tortured with my wound, bleeding to death, my mouth parched 
with thirst, and hearing the bullets and shells every second pass 
close to my face, as the hilltop was scathed with the fire from 
the rebel lines. I was sure I would die, and I tried to compose my 
thoughts and breathe a prayer for help. When the darkness 
approached the fire slackened and then came to an end. I began 
to sink into unconsciousness, and supposed my hour had come 
to die. As I opened my eyes once in a while I saw strange 
figures dimly in the darkness, and now and then a moving 
light, like a torch or lantern. As I watched these appearances I 
hardly knew where I was, on earth or in another world. The 
last thine I recall is the fact that I woke from a stupor and looked 
into a human face, felt a cordial pressed to my burning lips, and 
said faintly, ' Thank God, the Christian Commission has come,' 
as I fell into another faint. When I woke again I was inside our 
lines, in the hospital, my wound, dressed, and my life saved ! " 

The boy was still resolved to find his regiment, but after 
anxious and venturesome searching he had to give up the 
task. On the edee of the town the orround was covered with 
wounded men, among whom now the nurses, surgeons, and ambu- 
lance corps were at work, but beyond them not a man could be 
seen in the gathering darkness. The firing had ceased, the 
troops were lying in concealment in hollows and behind barri- 
cades ; the night had settled down. In the darkness it was too 
late to find the regiment, and Jack, with a heavy heart, sank 
down on the earth and pulled his blanket over him and fell 



152 



WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 



into a troubled sleep, waking once in a while shivering with the 
cold and horrified with the groans of the wounded all about him. 
He awoke early Sabbath morning and found the situation more 
quiet. The Union arm)- had been defeated the day before in 
each attempt to carry and hold the heights. In sight of each 
other the two armies now lay in line waiting for something to 
happen. 




"THANK GOD, THE CHRISTIAN COMMISSION HAS COME." 

Jack, after taking a bite of meat and a hard cracker, made 
up his mind to start out across the open space in the effort to 
find his comrades. He did not know their exact position, and 
could not ascertain whether they had been moved or not since 
going out. He had to guess at the whole matter. Venturing 
forth, he could look out over the plains to the; hills a mile away, 
from which the rebels the day before had poure-d such a galling 
fire upon the Union troops. He coultl see no Confederates at 



THE HEIGHTS OF FREDERICKSBURG. 153 

all, not even a picket, and he fancied that it would be possible 
for him to get out to the place where he supposed the command 
to be. Wrapping his blanket up in a roll and throwing it 
around him, and cautiously noting his position, he started. He 
had not gone twenty yards when he came to a fence. As he 
climbed this he heard a sound that set his heart to beating 
more rapidly than usual — zip ! zip ! — and two minie balls struck 
the fence near where he crossed. He dropped on the earth 
and lay flat down for a few moments. Again came the hiss 
of another bullet, and its dull, thudding sound as it went into the 
eround near his head. He durst not stir for a little while lest 
he might draw the fire of the enemy again. 

By and by he rose, determined to make another trial. He 
ran at full speed for some distance, but he saw at once on the 
picket line of the enemy puff after puff of smoke, and heard the 
reports of a dozen musket shots, and saw the bullets strike all 
about him in the ground, ^ome of them whizzed past his ears 
in a way that made his blood run cold. He dropped again. He 
was now in a quandary. He could neither go forward nor back. It 
was impossible to get to the regiment, and almost impossible to 
return. He lay on the earth hugging the ground, a bullet strik- 
ing near his head whenever he made the slifrhtest motion. He 
accused himself of being a fool for trying to get across the plain 
and venturing into such a fix. 

By and by, summoning all his pluck to the front, he swiftly 
rose, darted off whence he came, back toward town, mounted 
the fence, dropped to the ground behind it, escaped the bullets, 
and waited for the night to come or for the regiment to return. 

If the boy had been a little older and wiser he would not 
have made such a crazy venture. He afterward learned that 
General Carroll, the commander of the brigade, one of the most 
daring and heroic of leaders, had not been able even to send a 



lo-t 



WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 



messenger for more ammunition across that bullet-swept space, 
and that in the nighttime General Whipple, who led the division, 
answering the request that had reached him in the darkness for aid, 
had sent out Lieutenant Eddy, ordnance officer, and Lieutenant- 
Weise, of the ambulance corps, to ascertain the position of Car- 
roll's troops, and that these gallant officers, in their efforts to get 
to the front line, had been captured or shot ; at any rate, they 
had not been heard from when General Whipple made his report 




HE LAY ON THE EARTH HUG(;iNG THE GROUND. 

of his work in the battle. But the boy was in his teens, and had 
not yet learned that discretion may be the better part of valor. 

In the dusk of evening, as the boy crossed the plain in search 
of the Eighty-fourth, he discerned it coming in. With gladness 
he ran and reported to Colonel Bowman, and told him he had 
been trying to come out to the regiment all day and had been 
driven back. 

" I wonder you did not get a bullet in your hide," said the 
colonel, " for making such a rash attempt. \(n\ had no right to 



THE HEIGHTS OF FREDERICKSBURG. 



155 



expose yourself. We were safely hidden there behind the bank, 
and you could not have been of the slightest service under the 
circumstances. You must learn as a soldier not to run such 
risks when there is nothing to be gained by the exposure." 

On Monday both armies rested. Burnside wanted to attack 
again, but his generals would not let him, and meanwhile the 
rank and file lay on their arms awaiting orders to advance. 

That night 
the regiment 
wasorderedout 
on picket. The 
boy was on duty 
on the picket 
line from sun- 
down until 
about ten 
o'clock. Then, 
relieved of work 
for a few hours, 
he went off into 
the corner of a 
yard, threw him- 
self down on 
the withered 
grass, not yet 
entirely killed 

by the frost, and went to sleep. About midnight it commenced 
raining, and, roused a little by the drops falling on his face, he 
pulled his rubber blanket closely about him, rolled over, and 
went to sleep again. By and by he felt some one shake him 
violently. Then he heard a loud whisper: 

" Lieutenant Sanderson ! Wake up ! We are going to 




WAKE UP ! WE ARE GOING TO RETREAT ! " 



150 WIIA'l' A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

retreat ! Orders have come to evacuate the town. I have been 
hunting you for half an hour. It is a lucky chance you were 
not captured. Five minutes more and you would have been left 
behind. Come ! " 

Jack got up in a hurry. The company was in line ; the rain 
was coming down with violence, the mud was over shoetop, and 
the night dark as pitch. 

The regiment was among the last to leave. Gradually the 
troops had been withdrawn during the early part of the night. 
Everybody went softly, trying to make as little noise as possi- 
ble ; indeed, before Jack was awake the bulk of the army 
had retreated, Down the steep bank they went, stumbling, 
splashing through the mud, keeping an eye to the rear all the 
while, and anxiously wondering whether any suspicion of their 
movements had been awakened in the Confederate commander's 
mind. 

Word was quietly passed to the outposts of the picket line, 
and these cautiously withdrew to the river. Here the pontoon 
corps was in waiting, and when the last man had gone over 
the boats were loosened, the Fredericksburg end of the bridge 
was unfastened from the bank and allowed to swing with the 
current around until it reached the other side. By this time 
dawn was appearing, and with the dawn appeared also the Con- 
federate pickets. They came into the town, reached the river 
bank, saw with mingled satisfaction and disappointment that 
their prey had escaped them, and liad nothing to do but rejoice 
that they had got rid of the Yankees so easily. 

The army went back and settled down into winter quarters. 
It liad been once more baffled, repulsed, defeated. Heartsick 
and discouraged, it felt that it ought not to have been sacrificed 
to appease public opinion, which just at that time demanded a 
forward mo\cm(;nt; and it felt, too, that som(^ one had blundered. 



THE HEIGHTS OF FREDERICKSBURG. 



157 



Worn out, anxious, and disheartened, it went to work to make 
log huts and mud houses, and settle down for the winter. 

Among the wounded was one of the jokers of the regiment, 
who in his own waggish way kept all about him in good humor ; 
and while his drolleries were not sufficient to cure his own hurt 
they served as medicine for many near him in the hospital, who 
were rallied and recruited from the very verge of death by his fun. 
One day a worthless, long-faced fellow, in whom no one had any 
confidence, exhorted the wounded man to pray. At once the 
irrepressible wag, wounded even unto death, warded off the 
admonition by a characteristic reply. " O," said he, assuming an 
expression of forlornness and despair, " there is no use in my 
praying. It is a hopeless case." 

" You are certainly mistaken," was the answer. " You can 
surely offer up a prayer. Begin now." 

" Why, mister," said the almost breathless wag, " don't you 
know that the Lord will not hear a soldier's prayer unless it is 
forwarded through the regular military channels, and has the 
indorsement of the secretary of war } " 

This thrust " brought down " the hospital, and nurses, sur- 
geons, and patients alike joined in the laughter and shouts that 
arose, in the midst of which the would-be exhorter was glad to 
beat a retreat. 



■^^^&mmk 




158 



WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 



CHAPTER IX. 

THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC IN WINTER QUARTERS. 

[HE army, driven back 
from the bloody field 
and impregnable hills 
of Fredericksburo-, set- 
tled down into camp 
life with a sad and 
heavy heart. There 
was nothing in the sit- 
..J . -^ nation to encourage 

even the most cour- 
ageous soldier ; while there were 
,^ many things to depress and de- 
,^ moralize everybody. The boys all 
knew that a blunder had been com- 
mitted ; that the attack against the steep and frightful heights 
on which the hosts of Lee were securely fortified ought never to 
have been made; and although General Burnside gallantly took 
all the responsibility upon himself for the plan and the move- 
ment, and the soldiers were ready enough to see and appre- 
ciate his magnanimity in the case, yet there sprang up as a 
consequence of the ill-starred defeat a brooding spirit of discon- 
tent, restiveness, and surly discouragement, which soon spread 
throughout the entire army, from the high private in the rear 
rank to the generals in command of corps and grand divisions. 




THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC IN WINTER QUARTERS. 159 

Soon after the battle the followino^ address from President Lin- 
coin was read to the soldiers, but the demoralization had set in 
too deep to be arrested by any such means : 

"Executive Mansion, Dec. 22, 1862. 

"To THE Army of the Potomac: I have just read your 
commanding general's preliminary report of the battle of Fred- 
ericksburg. Although you were not successful the attempt was 
not an error, nor the failure other than an accident. The courage 
with which you, in an open field, maintained the contest against 
an intrenched foe, and the consummate skill and success with 
which you crossed and recrossed the river in the face of the 
enemy, show that you possess all the qualities of a great army, 
which will yet give victory to the country and the cause of pop- 
ular government. 

" Condoling with the mourners for the dead, and sympathiz- 
ing with the severely wounded, I congratulate you that the num- 
ber of both is comparatively so small. I tender to you, officers 

and soldiers, the thanks of the nation. 

" Abraham Lincoln." 

This order was read to the regiment on dress parade one 
evening by the adjutant, in a resounding voice, and it was re- 
ceived with hearty cheers ; but as the officers dispersed after the 
display was over there was an undercurrent of comment and 
criticism which would have oriven the President some liofht on 
the situation if he had overheard it. 

" So the President can only congratulate us on escaping from 
the clutches of the Johnnies with ten thousand dead and wounded. 
Well, it was lucky there were not three times that number. If 
old ' Burny' had had his way, from all accounts, there would have 
been fifty thousand left on the field instead of ten." 

This was the comment of one of the officers. Another replied : 



100 



W HAT A 150Y SAW IN THE ARMY. 



" Does Father Abe want us to believe he thinks the ' attempt 
was not an error ? ' Maybe he does fancy it was not, viewed 
from Washington City, but if he had been with us ten days ago, 
and seen the slaughter-pen into which we were hurled to be 
butchered by the thousand, he would have concluded that there 
was somethiiiLT lik^- a l)lunclcr somewhere." 




AN UNDERCURRENT OF COMMENT AND CRITICISM. 

Another officer continued: "Our failure was an 'accident,' 
was it, Mr. President? The Lord deliver us from any more 
such accidents! The worst 'accident' that has befallen us is to 
have a commander at our head who is not able to lead us to 
victory. ' Little Mac ' would never have dreamed of hurling 
men against such a stronghold when nothing was to be gained 
I)V it but certain defeat." 



THE ARMY OF THE POFOMAC IN WIN FER QUARTERS. 161 

" O, no," said another ; " ' Little Mac ' would have kept you 
ditching till the ditches were your graves. He did not know 
when to order his army forward into the works of the enemy, 
and Burnside did not know when to call them back from in- 
evitable disaster." 

And so, far and wide, the spirit of complaint and depression 
extended, until the whole army was infected by it. 

One of the headlines of the New York Ti'ibune, a few days 
after the battle, read, " No Discouragement or Demoralization," 
purporting to set forth the condition of things at the front ; but 
those who were there knew better. The army had lost heart 
and hope and confidence, not in itself or in its cause, but in its 
leader. It did not believe that Burnside, however patriotic and 
self-sacrificing and brave he might be, was able to command the 
Army of the Potomac. And in moody, surly, and ominous 
silence, mingled with occasional low growls of discontent, and 
with many doubtful shakes of the head, and a good deal of 
anxiety for the future among both officers and men, the heart- 
sick army settled down into winter quarters. 

Among the fatally wounded in the battle of Fredericksburg 
was one of Jack's beloved schoolmates and lifelong companions, 
Corporal John H. Styer, of Berwick, Pennsylvania, an overgrown, 
rollicking, well-reared stripling, who, enlisting in Lieutenant 
Clarence G. Jackson's squad a few weeks before, had, with eager 
loyalty, joined the regiment at the front. In his first fight he 
manifested steadfast courage ; severely hurt, he lingered for some 
time, and then heroically passed away, one of the youthful 
martyrs of liberty. 

The colonel of the Eighty-fourth Pennsylvania, to which Lieu- 
tenant Jack Sanderson now belonged, Issued orders to the com- 
mand under him to make itself comfortable, and while it was not 

definitely announced that no further movement against the 
11 



162 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

enemy was to take place until spring, yet a general impression 
to that effect soon pervaded the army of Burnside. How the 
boys availed themselves of this impression and made good use 
of it a few words will set forth. The weather had been very 
cold, and the regiments that had simply camped down in their 
shelter tents had suffered severely. Here and there were shrewd, 
farseeing commanders who had taken the responsibility on 
themselves of preparing huts and other shelters for their troops, 
but many regiments had been living thus far in mere tents in 
shivering discomfort. Now everybody went to work to build 
winter habitations. 

Let us take a look at these men of war and the shelters 
which they have made as places of refuge during their period of 
hibernation. The commandinof officers of the divisions and 
army corps we find quartered, here and there at least, in the 
houses of the former residents, who have for the most part 
gone South for the winter, if not for the war. Brigade and 
regimental officers have large wall and hospital tents erected for 
their use, with portable stoves, cots, floors, and other appliances 
of comfort, and some tokens of luxury at hand and in use. Com- 
pany officers for the most part live in log huts, roofed over with 
shelter tents, pieced together. Do you know what a shelter tent 
is ? It is a rude shelter, made of three or four pieces of canvas 
which arc cut out and fitted so as to button one to the other, 
and afford space enough underneath for two or three men to 
sleep in a pinch. On the march each man carries one piece of 
canvas rolled up on his knapsack, and at night he and his mate 
find two notched sticks and a crosspiece, button their bits of 
canvas together, and forthwith their habitation for the night is 
complete. During the season of winter quarters these sheets of 
canvas, duly buttoned together, made a fairly good roof for a 
mud house or a log hut 



THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC IN WINTER QUARTERS. 163 

It was singular what comfortable places the boys built for 
themselves. Here in a side hill we find a dozen officers quar- 
tered in a cavern dug out of the earth. A chimney has been 
excavated and a big fireplace carved out of the earth, and here, 
warm, dry, cheerful, and jocose, the occupants bunk together 
on the ground, on which has been thickly spread a covering of 
rubber coats, blankets, overgarments, and other bed material. 
Or, perhaps, we find bins and bunks arranged about the interior, 
with a table, rude benches, a camp chair or two, and other odds 
and ends. Now and then a picture is hung up ; sometimes the 
walls are covered with cuts taken from Harper s Weekly or 
Frank Leslies Illustrated Newspaper, both of which had a large 
circulation in the army, while in almost every tent or other hab- 
itation we find in use some knickknack or handy trifle of com- 
fort, sent from home. Dugouts, log houses, mud huts, structures 
made of bushes, earth, and canvas, all mingled toe^ether in a 
curious mongrel fashion — if one can fancy these and other 
like structures, each with an individuality of its own, and 
reflecting the personality of its occupants and inventors, and 
along with them a various collection of soldiers, covering a large 
stretch of country, twenty odd miles in length along the Rap- 
pahannock, and nearly that distance in breadth, and embracing 
a population of over a hundred thousand men — with no women 
or children, except a few nurses and drummer boys to give 
variety to the picture — if one can fancy this agglomeration of 
rough, rude, uncouth, and at the same time picturesque habi- 
tations, he may form a fair idea of the army in its comfortable 
winter quarters. 

In pleasant weather each day was quite well filled with its 
various duties. The early roll call opened up the tasks of the 
day. Jack was disposed at first to try to get a little more sleep 
than the law of camp life allowed him, and so he began to indulge 



164 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

himself in a morning nap once in a while rather than get out 
of bed at reveille to respond to his name and attend the usual 
assembly of the company to which he belonged, about half past 
five on a wintry morning. This happened three times, and no 
more. It was the duty of the orderly sergeant of each company, 
immediately after roll call, to take the report of the company to 
the headquarters of the adjutant, where the adjutant's assistant, 
the sergeant major, summed up the various reports and gave 
them in at once to his superior, who reported the result to 
the colonel or other officer in command, who could tell at once 
how many men he had ready for duty, how many were sick, and 
how many were absent without leave or otherwise unaccounted 
for. lack, I say, had enjoyed three morning naps, absenting 
himself thereby from early roll call. On the fourth morning, 
after hearing the bugles sound out their clear and stirring notes, 
and listening in his snug bed to the orderly sergeant calling the 
roll, he had turned over under the blankets to get some more 
sleep, in a very comfortable frame of mind. Before he could 
settle back into sleep there came an alarm at the tent door. 
" Who is there ? " called Lieutenant Sanderson. " The sergeant 
major," was the reply. " What do you want } Why do you 
wake me at this hour } Go away ; don't disturb me," was the 
salutation of Jack as he rubbed his eyes. The tone of the 
sergeant major, as he made answer to the lieutenant, was not 
very jocose. He said, " Lieutenant Sanderson, Colonel Bow- 
man wants to see you at once in his tent." " Why, what 
is the matter 7 What does he want at this hour, six o'clock 
in the morning?" "I do not know," was the serious reply 
of the noncommissioned officer. " I have given you his mes- 
sage." 

Jack dressed in a hurry, puzzled and anxious to know what 
vas brewing. He hastened out into the frosty air, and in a few 



THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC IN WINTER QUARTERS. 165 

moments tapped nervously at the headquarters tent of the 
colonel commanding-. " Colonel," said the lieutenant, " I was 
told to report to you, and here I am." 

The boy saw that the colonel was angry, and that something 
was the matter. " Yes," said Colonel Bowman, " I see you are 
here now ; but where were you half an hour ago, at the time of 
roll call ? " 

With tremulous tongue and stammering speech the boy 
answered, as his eyes fell under the stern and penetrating look 
of the colonel, " I was in bed." 

" And where were you yesterday morning at roll call, and 
where were you day before yesterday morning at roll call, and 
the day before that ? Tell me now, where were you ?" thundered 
the colonel. 

" Well, colonel, I was in bed, trying to get a bit more sleep." 

" Is that the business of a commissioned officer, to snooze in 
bed when his men are up attending roll call ? Is that the way 
you are going to set an example to your command and obey 
orders as an officer ? I have a notion to order you under arrest 
at once and take away your sword from you, to let you see what 
punishment is due for such an offense. Go back to your quar- 
ters, sir, and let this be the last offense of this sort you are 
guilty of while you are an officer in my regiment ! You ought 
to be thankful that I have let you off so easy. You can go to 
your tent and meditate for a while." 

The boy made haste to obey, thoroughly awake now and 
realizing what a predicament he had got into. He had presumed 
that because he was a relative of the colonel of the reeiment 
he might take a privilege, now and then, denied to others. He 
had no thought that he would be brought up with a round turn 
by the colonel for this delinquency, and, stung to the heart, 
ashamed of himself, mortified beyond measure, and glad that 



166 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

no one else was present to hear the reproof that had been given 
him, he beat a retreat, wishing for the time that he could 

Fold his tent like the Arabs, 
And silently steal away. 

One dose of such strong medicine as was administered that 
morning was enough for the boy, and he never had occasion to 
take another. He was glad enough to escape with one such 
interview with Colonel Bowman on the subject of being present 
with his company at roll call. 

One of the most affecting scenes of camp life at this point, 
Stoneman's Switch, as it was called, was a funeral which occurred 
one wintry day. One of the boys in the hospital, who had been 
wounded in the battle two or three weeks before, beo^an, after 
an interval of suffering bravely borne, to droop. In his delirium 
he fancied himself within reach and call of the loved ones at home, 
and he frequently called for his mother and his sister to attend 
him. One day the surgeon gave in the verdict that the brave 
boy must die, and before night the hero had met and conquered 
the last enemy. The next day a burial party, formed of the 
company to which the dead soldier had belonged, with other 
comrades from the regiment, lovingly bore or followed his body 
to the grave that had been dug not far away in a commanding site 
on a neighboring hill. Through the snow and the slush, led by the 
band, which played as a dead march the familiar air called the 
Portuguese Hymn with melting and penetrating effect, the boys 
marched out and reverently stood by the open grave. No chap- 
lain was then serving with the regiment, and there was no burial 
service read, but, as the boys stood in silence at the side of the 
jMt that liad been dug, one of them, with tremulous utterance, 
began to sing, 

" Rock of ages, cleft for me, 
Let me hide myself in thee." 



1 iVtAwr I l.j 




THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC IN WINTER QUARTERS. 169 

Soon another voice chimed in with the first, and then another 
joined, until, by the time the closing stanza of the glorious old 
hymn had been reached, all the boys, in the cold, bleak January 
weather, with uncovered heads and tearful eyes, with tenderness 
and pathos, thinking of the dear ones far away, and wondering 
whose turn next would come to die of sickness or wounds, in the 
camp or hospital or on the field, were singing, 

" While I draw this fleeting breath. 
When my eyes shall close in death, 
When I rise to worlds unknown. 
And behold thee on thy throne. 
Rock of ages, cleft for me. 
Let me hide myself in thee." 

Such serious and solemn occasions were not allowed, how- 
ever, to check the merriment, the jollity, and the good cheer of 
camp life, and for the most part the soldiers led a jovial, careless, 
and rollicking career, which even wounds, privations, deaths, and 
battles were not allowed for any great length of time to over- 
shadow with gloom. As one means of recreation and sport a 
minstrel troupe was organized in the regiment, and often in the 
eveningthe camp resounded with the sound of fiddle, banjo, and 
bones, while the air reechoed with the stale jokes which Christie 
and his fellow-minstrels were just then retailing on the stage 
throughout the land. 

On the 20th of January the army was roused from its winter 
quarters by marching orders, and the various corps were soon on 
the move. The Eighty-fourth Regiment was drawn up in line, 
and with some display and a good deal of enthusiasm the fol- 
lowing proclamation by the commander of the army was read : 

" General Orders, No. 7. 
" The commanding general announces to the Army of the 
Potomac that they are about to meet the enemy once more. The 



170 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

late brilliant actions in North Carolina, Tennessee, and Arkansas 
have divided and weakened the enemy on the Rappahannock, 
and the auspicious moment seems to have arrived to strike a 
ofreat and mortal blow at the rebellion and to rain that decisive 
victory which is due to the country. 

"Let the gallant soldiers of so many brilliant battlefields ac- 
complish this achievement, and a fame the most glorious awaits 
them. The commanding general calls for the firm and united 
action of officers and men, and under the providence of God 
the Army of the Potomac will have taken the great step toward 
restoring peace to the country and the government to its right- 
ful authority. 

" By command of Major General Burnside. 

" Lewis Richmond, 

" Assistant Adjutant General." 

The Third Corps, under General Stoneman, formed a part of 
the Center Grand Division commanded by General Hooker, and 
the troops, with such leaders, moved out briskly and blithely, 
yet hopelessly, from their camps, like Abraham, who " went out 
not knowing whither he went." One of the most splendid exhi- 
bitions of soldierly loyalty and pluck which that army ever dis- 
played was its action on this occasion in marching forth with 
alacrity and cheerfulness under Burnside's command just after 
that officer had made a stupendous failure at Fredericksburg. 
The wounded from that battle were most of them still in hospitals ; 
the dead were hardly buried, the men had scarcely recovered 
from the fatigue, exhaustion, and demoralization of that struggle, 
and were still oppressed with a sense of the utter hopelessness 
of success under the leadership of Burnside, who had confessed 
his incompetency for such a post; and yet at his bidding, with the 
belief that an awful struggle with the Confederates was before 



THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC IN WINTER QUARTERS. 171 

them, they obeyed their chief, and without a murmur, but with a 
good deal of courage and buoyancy, hoping against hope for the 
best, they went out to attempt once more the overthrow of 
Lee. 

The weather on the first day was cold, bright, and exhilarat- 
ing, and it alone proved a tonic for the boys who had been in 
camp for a month. The movement was performed as quietly as 
possible at first, so as to take the rebels by surprise, but doubt- 
less they were apprised of what was going on. The command 
moved down the river, hiding behind the hills and meeting long 
trains of pontoons heading up the river. They camped on the 
frozen ground for the night and then started on a backward trail, 
this time directing their steps up the Rappahannock toward 
Banks's Ford. That day it began to rain and blow and finally 
storm. The troops had to halt and cover themselves for the 
time by their shelter tents, which were found of little avail in the 
pouring torrents of water which pelted them. In the very midst 
of the movement everything was brought to a halt. General 
Burnside said to himself : " We will stop a few hours till the rain 
is over, and then we will resume our advance against the foe." 
Then he stopped, and the wagon trains stopped, and the infantry 
stopped, and the cavalry stopped, and the artillery stopped, first, 
of all, indeed, because they soon found it impossible to budge. 
They were stalled by the mud. The bottom had dropped out 
of the entire region. Mud is no name by which to describe the 
sticky, miry, pitchy, unfathomable, and unexplorable semifluid 
beds of stuff which filled and overflowed the roads, every one of 
which was transformed into an abysmal slough of despond. 
That army was literally " stuck in the mud ; " infantry mired, 
cannon bogged, horses stalled, wagons sunk axle-deep in the 
squashy clay, everybody calling for help and no one able to ren- 
der any, and the whole force of a hundred thousand men as ab- 



172 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

solutely helpless as though the rebel army had come upon them 
when asleep and bound them hand and foot. Here is a can- 
non, deep in unknown depths of viscous and gelatinous slime 
mixed with an undercurrent of quicksand. A score of horses are 
hitched to it, and they flounder and sink to their bellies in fran- 
tic and ineffectual exertions, some of them drowning in the mud, 
and trampled under the feet of the others, which with desperate 
tugs and struggles strive to keep a footing in the mire and do 
the bidding of their drivers, who urge them vainly out of the gulf 
of mud in which they have become inextricably mired. A strong 
rope is now hitched to the gun, and fifty men tug at it with- 
out taking an advance step. The gun does not move. Another 
detail of fifty men is added, and the whole hundred pull with 
all their might and main, and with the same result. Still an- 
other detail is brought, and a hundred and fifty soldiers, brawny 
and stalwart, with shouts and curses and cheers and utmost 
endeavors, unite in the effort to pull the cannon out of the mud, 
but it will not budge. And there it stood, and there the army 
stood, bemired, covered with mud, enduring the storm, chilled to 
the marrow with the sleet and piercing wind, out of rations, 
and only six or seven miles from their camps, and noway to get 
food, literally " stuck in the mud." Pontoons, caissons, cannon, 
horses, riders, footmen, generals, staff officers, all were in as des- 
perate a plight as could be well imagined, simply because the 
rains had come upon them midway in their movement and the 
marvelous capacities of Virginia mud had become exemplified in 
their experience. 

It was in view of the recollections of this campaign, in after 
years, that a Union veteran, answering the inquiry, in a casual 
conversation with a stranger, " Have you ever been through Vir- 
ginia.^" replied: "Been through Virginia! Yes, I have — in sev- 
eral places ! " 



THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC IN WINTER QUARTERS. 173 

What did they do ? They did nothing but wait till enough 
of the mud subsided to allow them to struggle out of it, and then 
the whole army marched back again to camp, sick, hungry, ex- 
hausted, woe-begone, dirty as the ground, and wretched as can 
be imagined. This was the famous " mud march " of General 
Burnside, and the last movement he engineered in the Army of 
the Potomac ; for shortly afterward, within two days, indeed, of 
the return of his army to its winter quarters. President Lincoln 
relieved him from command and appointed another in his place. 
The new leader was one of the most gallant men that ever lived, 
one of the most distinguished-looking officers who ever led an 
army into battle, full of personal enthusiasm, and of magnetic, 
impetuous, and dashing qualities, which, embodied in his previous 
deeds of courage and daring, had earned the sobriquet of 
" Fighting Joe Hooker." What the new commander undertook 
to do with the splendid army that came under his leadership we 
will tell in later chapters. 




174 



WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 



CHAPTER X. 

OUT ON THE PICKET LINE. 




OON after returnino^ to camp 
from the "mud march " one 
^J evening Captain Bryan came 
into the canvas-covered log 
house that served as the 
headquarters of Company B, 
and said to Lieutenant San- 
derson, Lieutenant Smith, 
and Orderly Sergeant Sim- 
mons, who were there to- 
gether : 

" Boys, I have good news 
-^^^v^r"^" for you. It will make you 
'^~ "'"^ fairly dance and kick for joy 
when I tell you. You will roll over on the ground in your glee.'* 
" What is it, captain .? " said all three of them in a breath. 
" Have you leave of absence? Has any one secured a pass for 
)'ou to WashiuL^ton ? Has the sutler got a new stock of goods ? 
Is Quartermaster Kephart going to give another blow-out? 
Have you heard of a chance for promotion ? Are we to be 
excused from company drill to-morrow morning? Are we 
ordered off on recruiting service for the winter? Are )ou on 
the track of a soft snap somewhere in the service, where there 
will be increased allowances, better pay, a chance to show off a 



OUT ON THE PICKET LINE. 1T5 

new uniform, and no danger of being ordered into battle? Is 
there an extra ration of ' commissary ' to be issued ? Is Captain 
Zinn going to be promoted to be major ? What is the news, 
anyway, captain ? Do not keep us in suspense so long." 

Meanwhile the captain stood twirling an official paper in his 
hand before the sheet-iron camp stove which served both for 
cooking and heating purposes, the howling wind outside sending 
the smoke in suffocating volumes into the tent, making every- 
body cough and sneeze, while at the same time the freezing and 
bitter weather inclined them all to cret as near the source of heat 
as possible. 

When Captain Bryan had excited the curiosity of the boys 
sufficiently he replied : " You are not good guessers. You are 
all wide of the mark. We are not going home on recruiting 
service, nor going off on a pleasure trip to Washington, nor to a 
party at Kephart's. We are going out on picket, and we have 
to start at daybreak to-morrow morning. It is snowing, blowing, 
and freezing now, and what it will do by morning the Lord only 
knows. We must take three days' rations with us, and we won't 
have much chance to cook them out along the picket line. So 
bustle around lively, boys, and make your arrangements for a six- 
mile trudge through the slush and snow and a three-day stay 
out in the country along the Rappahannock." 

This information was somewhat of a damper to the little 
company, for the command had just got in from its dreadful 
experiences in the mud with Burnside, and had barely got itself 
lodged in its new huts and nondescript tents for the winter, and 
it was not pleasant to think of being so unceremoniously ousted 
from them. But in a little while the boys were cheerfully pack- 
ing their knapsacks, drawing their rations, cooking their pork, 
and stowing away their load of ammunition for the jaunt into the 
country. 



176 WHAT A BOV SAW IN THE ARMY. 

" Reveille at four o'clock, boys," was the captain's final order; 
" breakfast at five, and everybody ready to ' fall in ' at six." And 
with this prospect before them the members of the Eighty-fourth 
lay down in their bunks, or before the fireplaces in their cabins, 
and went to sleep to be roused on time, get their coffee, sling on 
their burdens, get into line, and start out in the teeth of the 
raging storm for the picket line, six miles or more away. 

Arriving there, they found the regiment which was to be 
relieved by them in an uncomfortable plight. The sleet and rain 
and snow had been beating upon them for thirty-six hours; the 
fires had been of necessity few and far between, and no tents 
could be erected ; so that everybody was drenched, shivering, hun- 
gry, tired, and glad to get relief and start back to camp. They 
cheered as they saw the Eighty-fourth coming to their relief; 
the officers in charge gave the necessary instructions, imparted 
the countersign for the day, indicated the points to be securely 
guarded, and the roads that needed most vigilance in the neigh- 
borhood, and then, happy that their tour of duty on the picket line 
was over, eagerly anxious to get into shelter and secure a change 
of flannels and dry their soaked garments, they started back to 
the encampment, leaving the Eighty-fourth, and the other regi- 
ments that formed the detail for picket duty in that portion of 
the line, in charge. 

The work assigned for the time was to guard a part of the 
bank of the river, and also to inclose with a cordon of pickets 
that portion of the rear of our army which touched the Rap- 
pahannock, on the right flank of the Army of the Potomac. 
It required a couple of hours to get the pickets stationed, 
to arrange their beats, to give them proper instructions, 
and to make the rounds, to see that each man was in his place 
and attending to his duty. The boys along the river sheltered 
themselves from observation, as far as possible, behind trees, 



OUT ON THE PICKET LINE. 177 

bushes, rocks, and high banks, in such fashion as to keep their 
eyes on the other side of the stream, which was hned in Hke 
manner by the Confederates. By mutual arrangement it was 
aofreed on both sides that there should be no firinof between the 
pickets, and sometimes there was a friendly interchange of greet- 
ings, news, and other things more substantial, one side being 
eager to get coffee, and the other willing to trade, with tobacco 
as the currency in the transaction. Now and then, in spite of 
the officers, a conversation like the following would take place : 

From the southern side of the river a voice would be heard, 
" Halloo, Yank ! What are you uns doin' over thar } Are you 
still stuck in the mud } Don't you want us to come over and 
help you out } " 

One of the Union pickets, first assuring himself that no offi- 
cer was near, would cautiously reply, "Halloo, Johnny Reb ! 
Still alive, are you .^^ Had any news from Vicksburg lately? 
Aren't you tired yet 7 Got any rations } Pretty near starved 
out, ain't you ? Why don't you come over on this side } Give 
us a call some morning. We will treat you just as well as you 
did us the other day when we crossed over into Fredericks- 
burg." 

Silence for a few minutes and then another voice : 

" Say, Yank, have you any papers to exchange } " 

Answer. — " What have you over there } " 

Rebel. — " The Richmo7id Enquirer and the Charleston Cou- 
rier. What have you } " 

Union Picket. — " The New York Tribune, the New York 
Herald, and the Washingtoii Chronicler 

Rebel. — " Got any news in your papers ? What is going 
on } " 

Union Picket. — " Lots of news. Sherman has taken Vicks- 
burg, the Alabama has been captured, England has refused to 

12 



178 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

let any more pirate ships be built in her yards for the Confed- 
eracy, and Butler is going to advance up the Mississippi from 
New Orleans and open the Father of Waters. Lots of news, 
Johnny Reb ! " 

" Yank, )ou're telling a pack of lies." 

Then came some unreportable objurgations against Greeley 
and Butler, and then a proposition to exchange newspapers, which 
was accepted. When the water was low enough, and the weather 
allowed, a picket from each side met in midstream and exchanged 
coffee or tobacco and Northern papers for Southern ones. Some- 
times this was done by a boat, and sometimes floats were sent 
forth from one side to the other, and so skillfully managed that 
the exchano^es were made by this means. When the Confederate 
papers were received they were passed from one to another until 
they were worn out, as the report of the condition of things in 
the South was read and pondered. Sometimes these dailies 
were found to be printed on wall paper, and very often on the 
coarsest sort of wrapping paper, the blockade and the lack of 
manufacturine facilities and establishments in the Southern 
States cutting off almost entirely the supply of printing paper. 

Meanwhile, half a mile or so back from the river, where the 
picket line crossed the road, headquarters had been established. 
At noon an alarm came from one of the outer pickets stationed 
out farther along this road. When the sergeant of the picket 
guard went to respond to this alarm he found a squad of cavalry 
halted — half a dozen men — who had been out on a scouting 
expedition. Receiving from them the countersign, they passed 
in. Soon afterward an officer rode up, outward bound, and was 
halted. " What did he want ? Where was he going 7 What 
right had he to pass through our lines ? " One of these ques- 
tions was answered, and the others were held in abeyance by 
tlir (l()cum(;nt which the officer showed, signed by General 



OUT ON THE PICKET LINE. 181 

Hooker, permitting him to pass all sentries, outposts, picket lines, 
by day or night, until further orders. So he was allowed to ride 
on his way unmolested, the boys meanwhile puzzling their wits 
ineffectually to guess his mission. " Is he an independent scout.'* 
Is he a Union spy } Is he going across the river on a secret 
mission ? Why is he venturing out alone ? Won't he fall into 
the hands of Fitz-Hugh Lee or Jeb Stuart before he returns ?" 

At nine o'clock Jack went on his round as officer of the 
picket guard, taking the pickets one by one, and finding them 
alert and cheery enough in spite of the snow in which they were 
tramping and the sleet which was driven into their faces by the 
howling winds. He supposed the night was going to pass with- 
out any incident of note, and had turned to go back to head- 
quarters from the end of the line, when Corporal Sones appeared, 
and, after saluting, said : " Lieutenant, I have an idea that 
something is going on at that house on the hill. I was up there 
to buy some bread a while ago, and I thought the folks looked 
skeery-like, as though they'd been interrupted in some sort of 
deviltry. They'll bear close watching. I have no confidence 
in any of these people." 

Jack, his attention thus directed to the house, took a stroll 
in that direction, the corporal walking by his side. The build- 
ing was a fairly comfortable one, and stood a quarter of a mile 
from the bank of the river, on an eminence overlooking the 
slopes that led down to the steep banks of the stream. The 
people living in it had secured a guard from the provost marshal 
of the army, and had not been molested, under the strong protes- 
tation that they were not allied in any way with the Confederates 
on the other side of the river. It was now drawing near mid- 
night, and the two soldiers, after considerable watching and 
waiting, were about to turn back to the picket line, thinking that 
perhaps their suspicions were ill-founded ; but while they stood 



182 AVHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

debating the matter they saw a hght appear at an upper window 
in the house. It flashed there but a moment and was gone. 
While they still stood in the cold, wondering whether the light 
meant anything or not, it appeared once more, and then twice 
in succession. Then the curtain was drawn and the light went out 
or was turned down. As this window was in plain sight from 
the other side of the river it was evident that signals might be 
exchanged and communication carried on without much risk of 
detection, if the work was shrewdly done. Once more a light 
appeared, was hidden, and then appeared twice again. Of course 
it might be that all this happened so ; perhaps some one was 
sick, and it was necessary for one of the inmates of the house 
to carry a light into and out of that room quickly ; but Jack and 
his fellow-soldier began to surmise that something more than all 
this was going on, especially as they saw a curtain going up to 
the top of the window and then slowly let down, this time shut- 
ting out the light finally. 

Jack said to the corporal, " I am sure we are on the right 
trail. Those folks are making signals to the rebels, and may be 
harboring Confederate spies. Let us report this to Colonel 
Bowman and see what he thinks about it." 

Forthwith the two marched back toward headquarters to 
consult with the commander of the regiment as to this case. 

Colonel Bowman, with lawyer-like penetration and soldierly 
instincts, leaped at once to the conclusion that the people in the 
house in question were rebels, and it was not five minutes until 
a party had been detailed to watch the premises and arrest the 
inmates if any further suspicious work were done. As this party 
approached the house, which was outside the Union picket line 
and protected by a Union guard, they saw a figure stealthily 
creeping along through the garden, hiding among the bushes 
and clearly making for the river. The men had hardly taken 



OUT ON THE PICKET LINE. 



183 



a single step In the direction of the dark object when it leaped 
out from its hiding place and made a bee line for the woods 
and the river bank. " Halt!" said the officer in charge of the 
party ; " halt, or we will shoot." The order was quickly given 
to fire, and half a dozen bullets sped in the direction of the 
fleeing man, for such it seemed in the darkness to be. The men 
followed as speedily as they could travel over the frozen, snow- 




A FIGURE STEALTHILY CREEPING ALONG THROUGH THE GARDEN. 

covered ground, but there was no moon, and the region was un- 
familiar, and the man soon got under cover, where he was safe 
for the time, no longer chase being possible at that hour of the 
night in the thicket. 

They knocked at the door of the house, and after consider- 
able waiting they gained admittance. The guard assigned by 
the provost marshal department of the army had been so well 
treated that he was fast asleep, and knew nothing of anyone 



184 



WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 



having been on the premises other than the regular inmates, who 
professed to know nothing whatever of the man who had got 
away. 

The woman of the house avowed that she did not know that 
there was a man about other than her husband and her little 
boy, who also made protestation that they were true-blue Union 
people, and had no thought of helping the enemy. 

" Didn't we see the siirnals you made to the rebels to-nieht } 
We understand your tricks. We saw the light flashing back 
and forth and the curtain going up and down. You are both 
nothing but rebel spies, and before you arc through with this 
you will wish there never had been a Southern Confederacy," 
said the officer in command of the arresting party as he took 
possession of the premises, put the pickets on duty about the 
house, and placed the family under arrest. 

Next day the people thus arrested were sent to the provost 
marshal general's headquarters, and information was duly given 
of the suspicious circumstances that had been noted against 
them. What became of them after that the boys never found 
out, but for the time being at least the signals that had been 
going on between that house and the rebels on the other side of 
the Rappahannock came to an end. 




-.#.:€ ^ 






A CONTRABAND'S WONDERFUL DREAM. 



185 



CHAPTER XI. 



A CONTRABANDS WONDERFUL DREAM. 



HILE Jack that night at 
the picket-Hne camp-fire 
was trying to get a little 
sleep he was roused by a 
commotion, and waking up 
and emerging from his 
blanket and rubber poncho (which 
he had thrown about him in order 
to keep as dry as possible while he 
lay on the ground with his feet to- 
ward the blazing logs) he rubbed 
his eyes and sat up to find out what 
was going on. He had come off duty 
an hour before and was wet, tired, and cold. He looked about him 
and found seated at the bivouac fire, the center of an interested 
group of officers and men, a unique specimen of the African 
race, an old man, with a grizzly gray beard, a bent form, a crooked 
leg, and, as soon appeared, an inexhaustible fund of native humor, 
wit, pathos, and quaintness. He was wet to the skin, having 
swum across the river, eluding the pickets on the other side, and 
making his escape safely into the Union lines. A slave all his 
life, this was his first breath of freedom. Under the Stars and 
Stripes he was secure and at liberty. 

" Can you cook, uncle ? " was the inquiry of one of the officers. 




186 



WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 






" Yas sah, yas sah, I kin cook; but I hain't had much chance, 
sah, lately, for purwisions is mighty scarce where I come from. 
I'se mighty hungry now, sah." 

At once there was a proffer of coffee, hard-tack, and pork 
for the old man, who, after his appetite was appeased and 
his clothes were dried, began to feel more at home. 

" What do you 
think of the war, 
uncle } " was the 
question of Jack to 
the old refugee. 

" I can hardly 
tell what to think, 
sah. I still has 
hopes, sah, dat the 
old flae is gwine to 
win." 

" Of course it is, 
uncle ; it is sure to 
win ; but how does 
it come that you 
have hope of it, 
coming from the 
South, where the 
rebels are rejoicing 
over their late vic- 
tories ? They expect to beat us and wipe out the Union from 
the map, and tear up the Stars and Stripes, and make the Stars 
and Bars the great flag. Mow comes it that )()u have hope of 
Union victories.'' " 

"To tell de truth, massa, it is 'cos of a dream I'se done gone 
had lonof aofo." 




THE CKNTKR OF AN INTERKSTKD GROITP, 



A CONTRABAND'S WONDERFUL DREAM. 187 

" A dream, uncle ? let's hear it!" shouted the chorus of voices 
about the fire. 

It was a picturesque scene — the log fire, with eager and at- 
tentive officers and soldiers grouped about it, the flickering 
flames casting weird shadows over their faces, the snow and sleet 
falling about them, and in the midst the patient, craggy, wrin- 
kled, withered face of the old Negro, who, in a cracked voice, and 
with a pathos born of years of suffering, unspoken longings for 
freedom, disappointed hopes, and many sorrows, told his story. 

" I'se bin a slave, massa, eber sence I was bahn, and I'm now 
about a hundred yeahs old, I reckon." 

" Hold on, uncle, none of your chaff, now," was the inter- 
ruption of Jack, as he broke in on the old man's reminiscences. 
" You are not a hundred years old, by any means. You are not 
over eighty, anyway. When were you born } Who has the 
family record } " 

The old man, thus brought up with a sudden check, assumed 
a meditative aspect, as though he were trying to recall the past 
and settle the question in dispute, and in a moment resumed : 
" Nobody knows when I was bahn, it's so long ago. I'se mighty 
old, I tell you, honey. We's got no fambly record among de 
cullud people, and sometimes we can't recollec' de exac' time 
when de chillens was bahn, but it was a long time ago ; I'se suah 
ob dat fact. I was neber a plantation niggah, but was always a 
serbant in de house. I was owned by some ob de fust famblies 
ob Virginny, sah, some ob de berry fust. I hab been de body 
serbant ob Major Stewart, ob de artillery, and he done gin me 
charge ob his tent, and his uniform, and his money, and his valu- 
ables ob ebery sort all de time. When de battle comes on he 
say, ' Now, Sam, you take good keer ob dese mattahs, an' if I do 
not come back from de fight you see dat de missis gets 'em 
all right.' My massa, Major Stewart, was a fine gentleman ; he 



188 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

was a kinsman to de Fitchews, and de Lees, and de udder fust 
famblies ob de State. He was berry good to his cullud people, 
and we had a right smaht chance ob a good time at his house, 
and nobody knew much about trubble dar. I alius say to de 
niggahs on de place, ' You clunno how good you got it heah, 
Neber min', you dunno what trubble is. You neber had no 
trubble.' When de little piccaninnies done gone die, and de 
mudder would cry, and carry on, I used to say, ' Neber min', 
honey, you dunno what trubble is. Dis heah is not trubble. De 
little lamb is gone wid de good Shepherd to de big sheepfold o' 
glory. De little lamb's safe dar. No wolf catch 'em dar, no 
dogs get arter 'em dar, no thorn bushes dar to tear de fleece and 
hurt de tender flesh ; no dark mountains dar to get lost in, no 
pits to fall into, no rocks to bruise 'em, no big debbil to worry 
'em. De little lamb is safe foreber. Honey, you dunno what 
trubble is.' An' when one ob dem sassy boys and gals on de 
place would get a good flogging fur impudence and laziness I'd 
say, ' Neber min', you dunno what trubble is ; you neber had 
no trubble yit. Keep your sassy tongue still, and put a bridle 
on your mouf, as de Scriptur' say, and don't be stubborn like de 
hoss or de mule, an' you won't get so many lickin's. If you don't 
min' better you'll know one ob dese days what trubble is. Trub- 
ble, sure enough, wid a lighted pine knot in one han' and wid a 
big whip in the udder, will hunt you up, and you will fin' out den 
what he is. ' " 

" Well, uncle, how about your dream ? You have not told 
us that," said one of the group, as he put a fresh log on the 
bivouac fire and lighted another pipe of tobacco. 

" Yes, honey, I'se comin' t(^ de dream pretty soon. Let me go 
my own gait, an' I'll get dar by an' by, as de tarrapin say once 
'pon a time. I was talkin' about trubble, an' I hab seen trubble 
in my life. Trubble done gone fin' me out, and come to my cabin, 



A CONTRABAND'S WONDERFUL DREAM. 191 

and squat down at my fire, and say he gvvine to stay wid me all 
my days. I fin' out what trubble is to my heart's content. No- 
body can't tell me about him now any more 'an I know myself. 
One day a stranger come to massa's house, and we fin' out dat 
trubble come wid him. He was a trader fum Georgia, and come 
to buy slaves to take 'em down South, Dat was trubble fur us. 
We fin' out pretty soon after he come dat ole massa's in debt — • 
dat was Major Stewart's father — and unless he could pay some 
o' his debts by selling off some o' his slaves he would lose de ole 
place. He neber had done such a thing befo', and it almos' 
broke his heart, and de heart ob ole missis, but it had to be done 
all de same. Dar was our Sally ; she was our daughter, honeys, 
and we had watched her grow up sence she was a baby. We set 
lots o' store by her. She could read, Sally could, and she got 
presents from missis and from de fambly, and wen she opened 
her mouf to sino- it was like all de birds in de air a-sinorin' in de 
springtime in de mawnin' in de woods. Ah, we had music in 
our cabin when Sally was dar. Dis yer trader fixed his eyes on 
our Sally de moment he got inter de room whar she was. He 
saw her trippin' about de house and doing her chores, and heard 
her sino-in' in de kitchen, and watched her as she run on errands 
for ole missis, and nothin' would do but Sally for him. He 
would not make any offer for any udder boy or gal on dat place 
onless he could hab Sally wid de rest on 'em. Dat was de day 
trubble come to our cabin, wen we found out dat ole Massa 
Stewart had done gone and sold our Sally, an' dat she was gwine 
down into de South, and dat we'd neber see or hear from her 
again. My ole woman neber got ober dat. When she was 
down sick, and a-dyin', she would rise up and cry out, ' Don't ye 
hear dat sinorin'.? Is not dat her voice aofain.?' An' den she 
would moan and toss and call for Sally until nobody could stand 
it widout cryin'. Dat was trubble, to see your own flesh and 



192 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

blood dat you lubbed better dan yer own life taken out ob yer 
home and put into a wagon and sold out ob yer sight, an neber 
hab no chance to fin' out war she is, and neber hab no hope dat 
she will eber come back, and lie awake all night long picturin' 
to yerself de harm dat's come to her, and de sorrow and de 
shame dat she is in, and de pain dat is obertakin' her, and 
de enemies dat is oppressin' her, and de distress dat she is en- 
durin', an' wonderin' all along wedder she will get so far off de 
track dat de Lord can't fin' her and bring her to de long home at 
las'. O, honeys, dat is trubble. I done gone fin' out what trub- 
ble is in my life. He stan' ober my cabin and flutter his dark 
wings, and he bring clouds and tempest and sorrow right off! " 

" But your dream, uncle, tell us that. It is getting late, and 
some of us have to go out on picket along the river pretty soon," 
said the officer of the cruard as he rose and buckled his belt, 
and drew his overcoat about him, and looked out into the storm. 
" Hurry up the dream part of your story." 

The old Negro wiped his brow and eyes and mopped his 
weird and furrowed old face with his bandanna, and then, without 
noticing further the interruption, went on : 

" De udder trubble dat I'se been in is dis yer wah. I'se bin 
wid Major Stewart for more dan a yeah, and last summer, sah, 
at de battle ob Antietam, de major, sah, got hisself hurt in de 
fight. He had chawge ob de cannon, and was helpin' in de battle, 
when a ball struck him and kerried off his arm smoove up to de 
shouldah, sah. I was at de hospital helpin' de surgeon when dey 
brought him in to hab de wound dressed, and dc major saw me, 
and he say, ' Sam, I'se done for now. Take good keer of de 
things and take 'em back home.' An' den de doctor gib him 
something to put him to sleep, and he neber woke up arter 
dat. An* I took his sword and his uniform and his pistols and his 
watch back to ole Yirginny, and gave 'em ober to my old missis; 



A CONTRABAND'S WONDERFUL DREAM 193 

and when she saw em she almos' went crazy. An' den when I see 
dat ole lady, my ole missis, crying wid a broken heart, and callin' 
de name ob her boy, and askin' if he would neber come back to 
her again, and gwine on all night long and all fru de day about 
de major, her deah boy, and lookin' down de long abenue ob trees, 
and ofoine out to de eate and strokin' de mane ob de bi^ boss 
he used to ride, and ravin' wid her grief, den it all come back to 
me how my ole woman took on when our Sally was sold off from 
us into de South, and I said to myself, ' Dis yeah is trubble, 
suah enough. Now my deah ole missis is got her share ob de 
trubble ?' 0,de wah brings trubble wid it. When I was in dat 
hospital at Antietam, and saw de doctors cutting off de arms 
and legs one arter another, and throwin' 'em out de windows 
until dey was piled up clean to de window sill, a big heap of 
'em on de ground, den I say, ' Dis is trubble. Dese men what 
lost an arm or a leg, and is gwine to die and leave deir frens 
behin', trubble is come to dem, sure enough ! ' " 

The officer of the guard at this juncture took out his watch, 
snapped it open and shut, and then said : 

" Old man, if you have any dream to tell let us have it. I 
am going in just ten minutes. Maybe we will find some other 
old contraband down by the river who may want to be wel- 
comed into the Union lines, and we must keep watch for him. 
I am beginning to think you never had any dream." 

Thus challenged, the old man now brought his wits to a 
focus and replied : 

" O yes, honeys, I has dreams ebery night o' my life. I sees 
visions and I dream dreams, as de Bible says. Dat ar dream 
dat I has now in my min' come to me one night in de camp, arter 
a big battle. Dat day I see lots ob soldiers, and bosses, and 
wounded men, and cannons, and flags, and blood, and dust. I 
was anxious about de major, my master, and I was sorry fur de 

13 



194 WHAT A BOY SAW IN 1 HE ARxMY. 

wounded, and I was skeered about myself, and de awful noise 
ob de battle almos' drove me crazy. An' den when de night 
come, and de wounded began to groan all ober de fiel', for a long 
time I could not sleep, and I jis lay and tossed and shivered 
and prayed on de ground. And den I had dis yeah vision dat 
I'se been tellin' you about. Dat was de time when I had dis 
yeah dream." And with the words the old man's head fell 
forward on his hands, and it seemed as if he were about to take 
another journey into the land of visions and dreams. 

Meanwhile the restless officer of the picket guard, noting 
the time of night, and about to start on his 'grand round,' broke 
in again with eager voice, "Wake up, old man; give us the 
dream. It is time for me to go. Don't drop off to sleep now." 

The old man raised his head, and his eyes were seen to be 
full of a strange and pathetic luster. He was like one who was 
seeing afar off, beholding things that are invisible. His voice 
was tremulous, and his words sent a kindred tremor into the souls 
of those who stood about the camp-fire listening to him speak. 

" Dat ar dream," he proceeded, " was about an army. I saw it 
in my vision, comin' fum de ends ob de airth, wid flags and guns 
and bugles. My Master ! but didn't dey make the airth shake 
and tremble when dey come passin' befo' me in de night ! I could 
see deir black faces s/ime as dey went marching by." 

"Black faces?" inquired one of the officers. "Was this a 
d/ac/: army that you saw in your dream?" 

" Yes, honeys, dat was an army ob black men dat I saw. Ebery 
man ob dat army, from de general down to de drummer boy, was 
black as your hat, an' de way deir eyes did shine, and deir faces, too, 
as dey marched to de battle, was de meracle ob it. Dey marched 
ober de mountains and down into de plains, and dey made de 
berry hebbens full ob de music ob deir bugles. An' by and by 
when dey began to sing, den dc mawnin' stars seemed to stan' 



A CONTRABAND'S WONDERFUL DREAM. 195 

Still and listen to de melody. An' den I saw a tall, pale-faced, 
sorrowful-lookin' white man ridin' on a white hoss, and he come 
out to see de army. It seemed as if dat army was his and dat 
dey was willin' to min' what he would tell 'em. An' when he 
come out he had a torch in his hand, and he said sumthin' to dat 
army dat make 'em shout and sing, and den he reached out his 
hand wid de torch in it, and he touched de baynet ob de fust 
soldier dat was near to him, and dat baynet took fire from de 
torch, and den dat fire passed all 'long de line ob dat regiment, and 
puhty soon all de swords and baynets of all de men in it was on 
fire. An' den he passed on to de nex' regiment, and he sot dem 
on fire too ! And de fire spread fum dat to the nex', an' so on. I 
looked till I see, as far as dat army spread itself out on de plain, 
it was all on fire ! Ebery sword was burnin', and ebery baynet 
was blazin' like a pine knot. An' den, wid dat white man in de 
lead, and wid ebery man in dat big army o' black men pressin* 
on behin', and wid ebery sword and ebery gun all blazin' in de 
night, dey marched out to battle. An' den jus' afore I woke fum 
my sleep I looked to de east, and I saw dar de mawnin' star 
a-shinin' in de sky, and de fust rays ob de risin' sun was beginnin' 
to 'pear. An' den I woke up to sleep no mo' dat night." 

When the old man was done no one had a word to say. The 
boys were strangely moved by the tale. None of them had ever 
been " abolitionists," and they had as yet no clear idea of the 
actual relation which slavery had had or was coming to have to 
the conflict. Just before that Mr. Lincoln had issued his procla- 
mation of emancipation, which of course could be of no account 
except as it became effectual by the victorious march of the 
Union army ; even in the army many had been bitterly opposed to 
it. But it is safe to say that nobody at the camp-fire that night 
who listened to that strange withered-up and bent-down old 
Negro tell his story ever doubted from that hour to the end 



196 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

that the issue of the war would be victory for the Union and 
freedom for the slave. The vision of an army of black men, 
with their bayonets all set on fire from the kindling torch of the 
President, told in tremulous tones by an old man who felt all 
that he said, seemed like the utterance of a prophet foretelling 
the coming of a day of jubilee for the world. 

The story of the old man was hardly done, and the boys 
were still wiping their eyes on their rough coat-sleeves and 
blowing their nasal organs in a violent way, and saying to each 
other that they believed they had really caught cold in that 
northeast storm that had been raging, when there came ringing 
from one picket guard to another all along the line the alarm, 
" Sergeant of the guard, alarm at the outpost. No. 3." Following 
that came a musket shot, and then all was alertness and atten- 
tion. Voices in the darkness, the clatter of cavalry, the noise 
and splashing of hoofs in the slush and snow, put everyone on 
the qui vive. The picket reserve was at once arrayed in line, 
and stood with their arms ready to use if need be. In a moment 
the mystery was solved by the appearance of a squad of cavalry- 
men and two men in citizens' clothinof. The officer in command 
of the cavalry explained the situation by saying that he had 
in charQ-e a farmer livinof near the Union lines who had been 
harboring a deserter and aiding him to get away. They were 
gloomy and taciturn, and had nothing to say. 

This latter incident multiplied a thousandfold will indicate 
what went on day after day in Burnside's army before General 
Hooker took command of it. Many thousands of desertions had 
occurred, and the people in the neighborhood of the army had 
aided and abetted the plans of those who were trying to elude 
detection and find their way back into the North. General 
Hooker soon remedied this state of things, and by his fine ex- 
ecutive ability, by a generous system of furloughs, and by giv- 




PEN AND INK SKETCH OF PRESIDENT LINCOLN. 



A CONTRABAND'S WONDERFUL DREAM. 199 

ing his command plenty of work to do in the shape of drills, 
reviews, picket duty, and parades, he brought it up to a high 
state of efficiency, until it was really what he claimed it to be, " the 
finest army on the planet." 

On a bright and beautiful day in February General Hooker 
arranged for a grand review of his whole army, which it was 
announced the President would attend and witness. With that 
announcement everybody was at his best in appearance and 
behavior. On a spacious plain not far from the Lacy House, 
where ample room was afforded for maneuvering the troops, the 
display was made. Many miles of marching were necessary in 
order that all the army should be marshaled at one point, as 
their camps were scattered over a large extent of country. It 
was a sight sufficient " to stir a fever in the blood of age " to see 
that great army all massed in one place, seven corps of infantry, 
one magnificent corps of cavalry, and a great body of artillery. 
From far and wide they came, their bands of music mingling in 
patriotic strains in the glowing, buoyant air, the generals in 
splendid uniforms and showily mounted on prancing horses, who 
seemed to enjoy the display as much as their riders, the artillery 
coming into line with the precision of machinery, at a gallop, 
the cavalry dashing across the plains, the staff officers gayly 
loping their horses hither and thither with their orders and mes- 
sages, and, in brief, the whole mechanism of an army, handled 
with skill, ease, grace, and military pomp, amid intense enthusi- 
asm and ardor. 

At last the whole army stood in line of battle. General 
Hooker, with the President and other noted visitors from Wash- 
ington, in the midst of a brilliantly dressed body of officers, 
posted in front of the center of the line. When the troops 
had presented arms, and the banners had drooped, and the 
bands had united in a piercing blast of music, the commanding 



200 



WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 



general and troops passed in review, proud, hopeful, exult- 
ant, confident in their leader, and believinpr in their beloved 
President, " Father Abraham." During that visit the President 
made a hasty visit to many of the camps of the soldiers, gallop- 
ing from one encampment to another, greeted with hearty 
cheers, showing his long, ungainly, awkward figure to poor advan- 
tage on horseback, making a very brief address now and then 
to " the boys," and leaving his image — the picture of patience, 
fidelity, political shrewdness, and indomitable gentleness and 
human kindness — indelibly printed in their hearts. Years have 
gone since those days of danger and political turbulence ; other 
great figures have come to the front, and the country has within 
recent years recalled the memory of the fathers of the republic 
with increased veneration ; but among them all, not excepting 
the one who stands first in war, and first in peace, and first in 
the hearts of his countrymen — among them all no wiser states- 
man, no nobler spirit, no loftier character, no abler leader has 
appeared than the emancipator and martyr, Abraham Lincoln. 




^*«-* 



ONCE xMORE ON THE EVE OF BATTLE. 



203 



CHAPTER XII. 

ONCE MORE ON THE EVE OF BATTLE. 

URING the tour of the regi- 
ment on the picket line the 
camp had been guarded by a 
few convalescents and left in 
charge of an amiable, patriotic, 
middle-asfed officer of the com- 
mand — Captain Dash — a most 
estimable crentleman, full of the 
milk of human kindness, intelli- 
gent, affable, and well posted on all 
subjects except those belonging to 
his temporary calling of a soldier, 
but who had a sort of " alderman- 
of-his-native-village " air about him, 
a magisterial dignity, a pompous 
sense of military authority, which 
(when taken in connection with the fact that the gentleman not 
only did not know anything about war but he did not even 
''suspect" anything, so invincible was his ignorance of the usages 
and customs of camp life and of the technical duties of a soldier) 
became excruciatingly funny to those who saw the situation. 
An amusing instance of this set the whole regiment to laughing 
when it returned to its winter quarters. The boys found that 
during their absence the doughty and dignified captain had kept 




204 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARxMY. 

up all the forms and ceremonies of the camp. He had ordered 
the meager command out on dress parade, using a few sick mu- 
sicians who had remained behind in hospital to extemporize 
music for the occasion ; he had insisted that all the men in 
camp who could walk should turn out in full uniform ; and thus 
with a score or more of men he had gone through with the cere- 
monies of parade, guard-mounting, and other occasions of mar- 
tial display with a serene and beautiful consciousness of the 
possession of full military power for the time lodged in his 
own majestic person. Posted in full sight on the bulletin board 
at the headquarters tent which he occupied was an order, in 
which were duly set forth some of the special instructions in- 
tended to govern the camp during this exigent period in which 
its brief comi land was intrusted to him, signed by himself in a 
way that indicated a deep sense of the authority which had in- 
vested hin-i for the time being : " A. Dash, Captain Company , 

Officer of the Day and Officer of the Guard, Commanding Post." 
In the due course of time, after really showing genuine 
bravery on the battlefield and enduring with fortitude the priva- 
tions of active campaigning for some months, this captain, on 
account of illness that made him unfit for duties at the front, 
was transferred to the newly formed " Invalid Corps." He re- 
mained to the very last unsophisticated, gentle, affable, polite, 
and never learned that his knowledge of men and things and of 
human life at large had not been in the slightest degree attem- 
pered with the least bit of intelligence concerning military mat- 
ters. On the other hand, he rejoiced with a sweet spirit of 
simplicity in the delusion that he had made of himself a strate- 
idst and tactician of hiorh attainments, as his own modest 
confession evinced on one occasion when he met an officer of 
the regiment in Washington on Pennsylvania Avenue. The 
captain was dressed in the light blue uniform that indicated the 



ONCE MORE ON THE EVE OF BATTLE. 205 

officers of the Invalid Corps, was shaven clean, and was clearly 
enjoying life in his new command. After cordially greeting his 
old friend he said to him in a burst of confidence, " Major, this 
work is just the thing for me. During my sickness in the hos- 
pital I feared that when I resumed active military command I 
would not feel at home again, but I find I am inured to the 
vicissitudes of military life. Indeed, all my knowledge of tactics 
is comino; back to me ! " 

With this glimpse of our old friend Captain Dash he passes 
out of sight, although his memory is still cherished by many 
who saw in him some sterling qualities of manhood, while at the 
same time they laughed heartily at his infirmities as an officer. 

On the morning of February 22 there was a heavy snow- 
storm, and the howling winds and sweeping tempest made out- 
door life irksome and uncomfortable even to contemplate. The 
bitter storm had roused the camp early, and the soldiers were in 
the midst of preparing for breakfast when there was heard in 
the distance the sound of a cannon. It sent a thrill of wonder- 
ment and anxiety into every mind. " What did it mean 7 Was 
it an omen of trouble.'* Did it portend a skirmish or a battle 7 
Would the army have to venture out into this dreadful storm in 
order to withstand the foe 7 " While they asked these questions, lo, 
there came another booming echo, followed by a third ominous 
and resounding report of the firing of artillery. In the head- 
quarters tent of Company B, getting ready for a breakfast of 
beefsteak and hard-tack, the three officers of the company were 
huddling about the old sheet-iron stove, trying to get warm. 
Captain Bryan looked serious. Lieutenant Smith put on a gay, 
jaunty, and swaggering air of " don't care a tuppence if it is 
a fight — I'm ready for it," while Lieutenant Jack Sanderson ex- 
claimed, jocosely, " Let's quit soldiering and go home ! The 
weather is too cold for outdoor adventures." 



206 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

Suddenly the tent flap was lifted and Sergeant Major Johnny 
Risscll poked his head inside and cried out, apparently in great 
alarm, " Captain Bryan, get your men ready for battle at once. 
Our outposts have been attacked by Lee. Don't you hear the 
cannonade }" And while the ruddy-cheeked, cheery boy, whom 
everybody loved, spoke the words there came another boom, 
boom, of the artillery as if to ratify the warning. Captain Bryan 
quickly seized his belt and buckled on his sword, the two lieuten- 
ants following his example. Orderly Sergeant Simmons hurried 
from tent to tent with the excited cry, " Fall in, boys; we are 
attacked ; there is going to be a big battle ! " Breakfast was forgot- 
ten, muskets were hurriedly taken down from the rack and in- 
spected, and the company was about to form line, many of the 
boys unnerved by the sudden alarm and the apparent advent of 
a terrific engagement. But before the boys were actually drawn 
up into line, and duly dressed and all ready to march out to the 
field. Captain Bryan began to notice that none of the other com- 
panies were " falling in," that no long roll had been sounded, 
and that the other camps did not appear to be disturbed. The 
situation was perplexing, and the sounding of the cannon again 
in the distance did not relieve the perplexity. All at once a 
happy thought struck Jack, and before any orders had been 
given for the company to march out from their company parade 
ground he whispered to Captain Bryan : " Are we not sold ? 
I do not believe this is an attack at all. This is the 22d 
of February, and this firing is onl)- a salute in honor of 
Washington's Birthday!" Some of the men caught the words, 
and began to laugh and then to cheer. " Who gave this alarm ? " 
was the instant question. "Sergeant Major Johnny Rissell 
brought the word of an attack," said some one in reply. " Where 
is he ? " shouted a dozen voices ; " Where is that rosy-checked 
joker.-'" " Put him under a snowdrift !" " I lead him up in a pork 



ONCE MORE ON THE EVE OF BATTLE. 209 

barrel ! " "Pack him in a cracker box ! " " Ship him off to Camp Con- 
valescent ! " " Drum him out of camp !" " Put him on half rations ! " 
" Send him down to Acquia Creek Landing and dump him into 
the Potomac ! " were some of the eager, jovial shouts of mock 
revenge that came from a hundred voices. Some one at this 
moment caught sight of Johnny at the other end of the camp, 
hunting for cover, and cried out, " There he is ; there is the 
champion joker! Catch him before he hides!" And with the 
words a score of men were running, plunging, stumbling, shout- 
ing, as they dashed through the blinding snow and the sweeping 
winds to find the object of their sport. They overtook the 
jocose fellow, washed his face with snow, plunged him in a snow 
bank, and tossed him in a blanket in their rough sport, and then 
finished their game with three cheers for Washington's Birthday. 
I need not say that everybody in the company was greatly re- 
lieved to find that there was no attack and no danger of battle, 
but that instead of an engagement there was a national holiday. 
A few days after this adventure the camp was gratified with 
the news that their gallant commanding officer. Colonel Bow- 
man, had been promoted to the head of the brigade, their former 
leader, the dashing and courageous General Carroll, having been 
transferred to another part of the army. The boys rejoiced at 
this recognition of the capacity of their colonel, and hurrahed 
over the announcement with hearty vigor. A day or two after- 
ward Jack was surprised by having the following order handed 
to him by the adjutant of the regiment : 

" Headquarters, Second Brigade, Third Division, Third Army Corps, 
"Camp Near Stoneman's Switch, Va., March i, 1863. 

" Special Orders, No. 34. 

" Lieutenant Jack Sanderson, Company B, Eighty-fourth 
Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, is hereby an- 

14 



210 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

nounced as aid-de-camp on the staff of the colonel commanding 
the brigade. He will be obeyed and respected accordingly. 
" By command of Colonel S. M. Bowman, 

"Commandinof Brio-ade. 
*■ Charles W. Fribley, 

"Acting Assistant Adjutant General." 

This order and promotion almost took away the boy's senses. 
It was too good to be believed at first. To serve on staff duty — 
to have a horse to ride ; to share in the authority and display 
and parade of brigade headquarters ; to have an opportunity to 
get acquainted with the officers on duty with the generals com- 
manding the division and the corps ; to get an insight into the 
upper circles of military life ; to bear dispatches on the battle- 
field and really serve as an aid — whew ! the boy could hardly 
draw his breath as he tried to take it all in. Congratulations 
poured in upon him from the gallant fellows who made up the 
Eighty-fourth, any one of whom would have been glad to ac- 
cept a similar post of duty, but none of whom were jealous of 
Jack on account of the promotion. The boy, however, did not 
really take in the situation as actually true until he had reported 
at the headquarters of the brigade and asked Colonel Bowman 
in person whether it was all a dream, or whether he was actually 
to consider himself on detached service as an aid-de-camp. 
The colonel laughed at the boy, shook his hand heartily, and 
said : 

"Lieutenant Jack Sanderson, you are really to serve on my 
staff. I expect you to show yourself a quick, alert, helpful officer 
in this position. I will trust you and lean on you as long as you 
prove trustworthy. We are going to have another big battle 
one of these days, and I want you near me when it comes off. 
Now you are at liberty to go to the brigade quartermaster with 



ONCE MORE ON THE EVE OF BATTLE. 211 

this requisition and pick out a horse for yourself and have him 
duly equipped for actual service. You may move your personal 
baggage down into this adjoining tent and adapt yourself speed- 
ily to the new situation." 

The boy made a military salute, and, feeling very proud and 
wondering what sort of a record he would make in his new posi- 
tion, went forth to assume the duties of an aid-de-camp. 

Let us follow him and get a glimpse of the brigade. It is 
made up of three veteran regiments — the Eighty-fourth Penn- 
sylvania, now commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Milton Opp, 
one of the manliest and most gifted young men in the service, 
slain a year later in the wilderness; the One Hundred and 
Tenth Pennsylvania, with the gallant Colonel Crowther at its 
head (these two regiments having been like twins from the date 
of their entrance into service); and the Twelfth New Hampshire, 
commanded by Colonel J. H. Potter, a modest, brave, experienced 
officer, a West Point graduate, who had seen years of active 
campaigning in Mexico and on the frontier before the opening 
of the civil war. This latter command was fuller than the two 
older regiments, which had been longer in service and had been 
greatly reduced by the accidents of battle and by sickness. Here 
then we find Pennsylvania and New Hampshire striving together 
for the supremacy of the Union. 

The quartermaster of the brigade, to whom Jack now directed 
his steps, had charge of the wagons, the animals, and, in gen- 
eral, the clothing and transportation of the command. Near 
him was the brigade commissary of subsistence, whose office it 
was to provide victuals for the men. In camp he had for them 
plenty of fresh bread, supplied by the brigade bakery, fresh beef, 
potatoes, and other vegetables ; while for the march he shut 
down his supplies until they included only hard-tack, salt pork, 
coffee, sugar, and other matters of that kind which could be 



212 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

packed away in small compass and which were not liable to 
spoil on the way. This officer also gave his name to a stimulat- 
ing fluid which was in almost universal use in the army, which 
body was by no means a temperance society, although there were 
good and stanch men in it who went through service without tast- 
ing liquor of any kind. Nevertheless the use of whisky was so 
common that the officer who kept it for issue, and who was per- 
mitted by the rules of the army to sell it as well as other provisions 
and articles in his custody to officers at actual cost, by common 
consent gave his own title to the beverage in question ; and so 
for four years whisky was called by everybody in the army noth- 
ing but " commissary." " Fill my canteen with commissary," 
was the order for whisky. 

Amonor the ofood thinofs that General Hooker did after he 
took command of the army was to reorganize this commissary 
department, so that the boys were fed better than ever before. 
On more than one occasion he gave orders that the private sup- 
plies of some of his generals should be halted until the wagons 
containing rations for the men were allowed to get through the 
muddy roads. In answer to the remonstrances that reached his 
ear he replied, " My men shall be fed before I am fed, and be- 
fore any of my officers are fed." "Fighting Joe Hooker" knew 
how to win the hearts of his men to him — by filling their stom- 
achs with food, by granting them furloughs, by keeping them 
down to work in multitudinous drills, reviews, and dress parades, 
and by other wise devices, by which the army was kept busy, 
contented, and inspired at the same time with new hope and 
courage. Its old sores were healed, its former defeats forgotten, 
its malcontents rooted out of place, and its former vigor and am- 
bitious ardor were restored. 

A visit of Colonel Bowman and his military family to the head- 
quarters of General Whipple, who commanded the division, and to 



ONCE MORi; ON THE EVE OF BATTLE. 215 

the corps headquarters, where Major General Sickles was in com- 
mand, was a pleasant thing for the new members of the staff. The 
colonel and his half dozen staff officers, including Jack, put on 
their best uniforms, had their horses groomed with extra care, 
their belt plates and swords polished until they looked like so 
many mirrors ; and thus completely accoutered they set out to 
make their calls of ceremony on their generals. General Whip- 
ple, a modest, cultivated gentleman, a West Pointer, greeted the 
party with cordiality, introduced his staff, and then bade them 
good-bye as they rode off again toward General Sickles's head- 
quarters, a mile or two away. Here everything was on a high 
scale of display. Gayly decorated officers in fancy Zouave uni- 
forms, an imposing array of orderlies and staff officers, elegantly 
ordered appurtenances, all betokened that the headquarters mess 
did not live on overmeager fare. General Sickles himself was 
a man whose appearance is best described by that overworked 
adjective "dashing;" he wore a military mustache and goatee, 
had a sharp, quick eye, and was a man of personal daring. His 
political and social history had given a considerable sprinkling 
of the romantic to his history ; and thus far during the war he 
had shown himself, while ambitious, at the same time a capable, 
resolute, and enthusiastic leader, possessing a good deal of per- 
sonal magnetism and somewhat of dare-devil recklessness. He 
was vivacious and sprightly in his greetings ; and the room where 
he received his visitors was quite full of all grades of officers, 
among whom were several brigadier generals, with their stars 
shining on their shoulders. The boy, standing for the first time 
in his life in the midst of an assemblage of such dignitaries, felt 
his head in a whirl, and seemed to be in a vision, overwhelmed 
with awe at the sight of so many officers of high degree. At the 
close of their visit General Sickles tapped his bell, and a colored 
servant appeared with decanters and glasses for those who would 



216 WHAT A BOY SAW IN Th E ARMY. 

take liquor ; those who drank paid their respects to their host, 
and then all took their departure. It was quite an event for 
the new staff officers to see and talk with two live generals all 
in one day! 

It was not long after this that the boy saw the cavalry corps 
start out on an expedition across the Rappahannock. This, 
everyone said, meant an onward movement. It so happened that 
about the time they crossed the river a terrific storm came on, 
which turned all the streams into swollen and foaming torrents, 
and thus hindered any cooperation on the part of the rest of 
the army. As soon, however, as the storm passed away the men 
felt that a forward movement was near at hand, and even before 
the orders came they began to prepare for it. 

One night a group sat at the bivouac fire, where all manner 
of fun had been transacted. Comrades had been smoking their 
pipes, telling yarns, reading the latest papers from home, gossip- 
ing over the news that had come from abroad that France and 
England were making threats of recognizing the Confederacy, 
and singing "John Brown's body lies moldering in the grave." 
Finally, just before tattoo sounded, an officer said : 

" Boys, we are going to have another battle in a few days." 

" Why," said one of the officers, " captain, how do you know.^ 
Have any orders come yet to move? " 

" No," was the reply ; " we have no orders yet, but this fine 
weather makes an advance inevitable. Hooker is not going to 
fool away any more time with grand reviews, parades, and all 
that. The roads are dry, the river is low enough to cross, either 
by fording or on pontoon bridges, and you might as well keep 
your knapsacks within reach, for one of these fine mornings you 
will be roused in a hurry." 

" All right," said the other, " let the orders come ; the sooner 
the better for our cause. Let us whip the rebels this time, and 

• 



ONCE MORE ON THE EVE OF BATTLE. 



217 



then go home. O, that will be a glad hour when we have peace 
once more and I can see ' the girl I left behind me ! ' " 

Some one struck up in rousing notes at this juncture, " When 
Johnny comes marching home again ;" and scores of voices join- 
ing the refrain made the welkin ring with the stirring music. 

Before the song was over Adjutant Mather stood before 
them, his face serious, and a paper in his hand. 

" Boys," he said, " we march at five to-morrow morning. Five 
days' rations, men in light marching order, sixty rounds of am- 
munition, and no headquarters baggage wagon." 

"Hurrah!" shouted the boys; "that means business. We 
will whip them this time. Joe Hooker is our leader, and we 
will follow him on to Richmond ! " 

The group soon separated, and for an hour all were busy in 
the camp packing knapsacks and haversacks and putting things 
in order for the march. Then, the bands on every hillside play- 
ing patriotic airs, "the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps" 
sending strange lights and fantastic shadows across the fields 
and through the streets of tents, came tattoo, with its penetrating 
strains, and now and then before " taps " a song, a laugh, a shout, 
or perhaps the tones of a hymn ; and at last the great army 
settled down to take its rest before it started out to grapple 
again with its deadly foe among the thickets of Chancellorsville. 




>i5_-V,-t?«>''E.-te-- - : 



218 



WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

THE THICKETS OF CHANCELLORSVILLE. 

LL sorts of rumors had been 
flying to and fro throughout 
the army for many days in 
advance of the movement 
now pending. An active 
campaign, with all its vig- 
orous accompaniments, was 
" in the air," and the whole 
great host was like the paw- 
ing steed whose quivering 
mane is immortalized in the 
Book of Job, where we are 
told, " He smelleth the bat- 
tle afar off, the thunder of 
the captains, and the shout- 
ing." Everybody felt that 
a great battle must soon be 
fought ; that the now opened and settled spring weather brought 
with it the necessity for another movement " on to Richmond." 
The troops had been so thoroughly reinvigorated, disciplined, 
drilled, and heartened by their winter reviews, recruitments, and 
rest that they were at last eager for the encounter and in mag- 
nificent fighting condition. With a dashing leader at their head, 
with skilled and courageous generals marshaling the subordi- 




THE THICKETS OF CHANCELLORSVILLE. 219 

nate commands, accoutered completely with the best equipments 
that Uncle Sam's treasury, overflowing with greenbacks, could 
provide, the Army of the Potomac heard with quickened pulse 
and flashing eye the command issued in the closing days of 
April, 1863, " Forward across the Rappahannock !" 

The Third Corps, in the movement which resulted in the 
battle of Chancellorsville, was held in reserve during the first 
two or three days of the campaign, marching first down the 
river, as though it was to join the troops which were making a 
feint aeainst the rio-ht flank of General Lee to the east of Fred- 
ericksburg. If we join the bivouac of the Eighty-fourth Penn- 
sylvania and listen to the boys as they retail the flying rumors 
of the moving camps we may the better appreciate the situation. 
Men all day long have been marching eastward, and then, behind 
the hills, have faced about and countermarched to the west 
again, while camp-fires have been built in all directions along 
the bank of the river in the neighborhood of the pontoon 
bridpfes which have been laid. It is clear that General Hooker 
wants the rebels to believe that he is going to cross in force to 
the east of the town, but the shifting and hurrying troops which 
march in the other direction under cover of the hills tell that 
the real stroke is to descend in some other place. 

The coffee has been made, the fires are lighted, the shelter 
tents are fixed for the night, and the boys have an hour for 
gossip before the sound of tattoo. Let us listen to their conver- 
sation. 

" Captain," says one sturdy soldier, carving a beef-bone into 
a scarf-pin or other ornament to send home, "what's the news.? 
What does this all mean ? Where are we going to cross } When 
is the fun o-oinor to commence } " 

" Well, Tom," was the reply, " you will have to ask General 
Hooker, if you want all your questions answered satisfactorily. 



220 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

He knows all about it, I suppose, and we will be wiser inside of 
a week than we are now. One thing I heard to-day, however, that 
is of interest. Stoneman's cavalry has been waiting for two weeks 
at the fords up the river to get a chance to cross over and make 
an attack on the rear of the rebels. The waters have been so 
high that they could not cross till yesterday ; some of them ven- 
tured over before the rains last week and were overtaken by the 
floods, and could hardly return ; they barely got back again. 
Now they are all on the other side of the river, and by this time 
they have wakened up Fitz-Hugh Lee and Jeb Stuart, and be- 
tween those dashing fellows on that side, and Pleasonton, Gregg, 
Kilpatrick, and Buford on ours, there will be some 

' Racing and chasing on Cannobie Lee.' " 

A Staff officer, Captain Fribley, the acting assistant adjutant 
general of the brigade, who had just then come up from Colonel 
Bowman's headquarters, was at once beset for information. Giv- 
ing his military mustache a characteristic twist, he said : 

" Boys, the musical part of this performance will be up the 
river. We march in that direction at sunrise. Most of the 
army is there already, and the maneuvers have been so skillfully 
conducted that our men have crossed over on the pontoons at 
the United States Ford, and at the other fords above that, with- 
out firing a shot or losing a man, except in some brilliant cav- 
alry skirmishes. All this parade down here on our left, below 
Fredericksburg, is a little bit of military fuss and feathers. We 
have made a crossing here and thrown up some works to pro- 
tect our pontoons, but we are not going to make any direct 
attack here just now. Tlic heavy business will be off to the 
right, on the left flank of the: Confederates. Thither we march 
in the morning." 

The announcement was greeted with hearty cheers, which 



THE THICKETS OF CHANCELLORSVILLE. 221 

spread from camp-fire to camp-fire, and from tent to tent, until 
the sky was full of glad echoes, the resounding exultations of the 
eager and expectant soldiers, who were anxious to strike an 
effective blow for the flag, and who rejoiced that the preliminary 
movements had been so remarkably successful. 

On Thursday, April t,o, the Third Corps, under Sickles, 
marched up the river to join the troops which had already made 
a successful crossing into rebeldom. They rested near the United 
States Ford that night, and early next morning crossed on the 
pontoon bridge and marched into the woods and in the direction 
of Chancellorsville. On the way they halted for a while, and the 
followinor order was read to them from General Hooker: 

"Headquarters Army of the Potomac, April io, 1863. 

" General Orders, No. 47. 

" It is with heartfelt satisfaction that the commanding general 
announces to the army that the operations of the last three days 
have determined that our enemy must ingloriously fly or come 
out from behind his defenses and give us battle on our own 
ground, where certain destruction awaits him. 

"By order of Major General Joseph Hooker. 

" S. Williams, 

" Assistant Adjutant General." 

The enthusiasm with which this ringing and exultant procla- 
mation was received by the troops cannot well be described. 
The woods resounded with the cheers of the various regiments 
as they heard the jubilant words of their sanguine commander 
repeated far and wide. Soon after the order was read General 
Hooker himself rode down the road on his splendid white horse, 
attended by brilliantly dressed staff officers, and again the cheers 
ascended to greet him. He lifted his hat, bowed, smiled, and 



222 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

addressed a word of hearty cheer to those nearest him. It was 
clearly to be seen that he was in " high feather," and expected to 
make short, quick, skillful work in the battle which had already 
opened, as the cannonade and musketry in various directions 
now showed. A staff officer, who had talked with General 
Hooker, stopped at brigade headquarters and said to Colonel 
Bowman : " General Hooker is in a gleeful and exultant mood. 
He thinks he owns the Confederacy, and has a mortgage on the 
whole of Lee's army, and he is going to foreclose and claim his 
own property. He said in my hearing, ' I have the rebellion in 
my breeches pocket, and God Almighty himself cannot take it 
away from me.' " 

This remark sent a cold chill into the hearts of some of the 
listeners. Brave as they were, and profane as some of them had 
been, tnis boastful utterance of General Hooker made them 
shake tneir heads in doubt and brought an ominous look of 
foreboding and alarm to their faces. One officer said : 

" I do not like that sort of talk on the eve of a battle. 
There is no sense in defying the Almighty while you are fighting 
General Lee. I think General Hooker's face is too red. If he 
carries his canteen with him on this campaign we will be in a 
sorry fix before its close." 

Bowman's brigade bivouacked in the woods that afternoon, 
in sight of the line of battle In the distant thickets, where a 
struggle had been going on all day between the front lines on 
either side. It was trying to one's nerves to sit still under such 
circumstances, once in a while a shell hurtling among the trees 
and exploding in the air or on the ground, now and then a bullet 
whistling close to the ear or striking a limb above the heads of 
the troops, who were holding themselves in readiness to march 
out to the edge of the battle at a moment's warning. The 
thickets were dense, the undergrowth was rank, and only at rare 



THE THICKETS OF CHANCELLORSVn.LE. 223 

intervals was a road to be found penetrating" the wilderness. 
When the brigade to which Jack belonged arrived they found 
the troops already on the field, scattered in the midst of this 
thorny, tangled, impenetrable forest, where it was impossible to 
see five rods into the jungle, and where maneuvering, in any 
proper sense of that word, was impossible. What the outcome 
of this situation might be no one could dream. 

Friday night. May i, passed away without the brigade whose 
fortunes we are following being called into action. The boys 
woke early next morning and found an ominous silence pervad- 
ing the lines of battle. " What was up ? Were the rebels 
retreating? Were they getting ready for an attack.? What 
would the day bring forth.?" These were the questions which 
rose to the lip as the boys made their coffee, toasted a bit of 
pork on the end of a stick, and broke off a bite of hard-tack 
wherewith to attemper their morning meal. 

It was about nine o'clock that the sound of a cannon was 
heard in the woods off to the south of where brigade headquar- 
ters were temporarily established, and then came a few musket 
shots, and then a stray shell or two harmlessly bursting in the 
air. Then came galloping by, later in the morning, a scout with 
news that electrified everybody. "Hurrah!" he shouted, "the 
rebels are in full retreat ; we can see their wagon train in the 
distance movingf off toward Gordonsville. We are sure of vie- 
tory now. That's what General Hooker said, they ' must inglo- 
riously retreat.' Hurrah ! " And off he rode with the good 
news. Soon General Sickles came dashing by on his horse with 
several staff officers. Stopping to say a word with Colonel 
Bowman, the brigade commander, it was ascertained that he was 
sure that the rebels were retreating and that the Third Corps 
were to follow up and press their rear. The First Division, com- 
manded by Birney, marched out and deployed in the open fields, 



224 WHAT A BOY SAW IX THE ARMY. 

and then in a few moments they disappeared in the forest. It 
was not long until word came for Berry's Second Division and 
Whipple's Third Division — to which Jack's brigade belonged — 
to " fall in " and follow through the woods after the rebels, who 
were supposed to be in full retreat. The boys thought, as they 
obeyed orders and formed line and began the march into the 
woods, " We have the Confederates now in a trap. They are 
' skedaddling,' sure enough. All that we need to do is to press 
them with earnestness, and we will bag 'em every one. This 
is the end of the rebellion. We have the Johnnies on the run, 
and we will keep them there until they are caught ! " And with 
this gleeful confidence of a sure and speedy victory the brigade 
deployed into the edge of the woods. 

They had gone but a few paces when Colonel Bowman said 
to his staff, " We must dismount and send our horses to the 
rear ; the undergrowth is too thick for anyone to ride through 
it." The officers were very willing to dismount by this time, for 
the thorny branches had been catching their hats and scratching 
their faces, and the animals were, accordingly, sent back to the 
rear in charge of the orderlies, who were glad enough to escape 
from the perilous edge of battle in that way. 

Then came a scramble on foot through the thicket. It was 
the same region in which the awful " Wilderness " battles occurred 
under Grant a year later, a tangled, dense, almost impervious 
forest of vines, brambles, thornbushes, and scrub oaks, without 
a path or an opening except two or three roads that branched 
in various directions from the region of the Chancellor House, 
where Hooker's headquarters had been established. Into this 
jungle the troops marched with high hopes, and soon they were 
lost to sight even of each other. No line could be maintained 
in such a thicket; in fact, nobody could see more than a few 
):\rds ahead or to iritlicr side of him. 



THE THICKETS OF CHANCELLORSVILLE. 



225 



" Hurrah, boys ! " shouted Captain Fribley ; "now I under- 
stand that old bit of rhyme from Mother Goose : 

' There was a man in our town 

Who was so wondrous wise 
He jumped into a bramble bush 

And scratched out both his eyes.' 

Here is the spot, surely, where he did the deed, and we are 
pretty sure to imitate his heroic example unless we are very 
careful !" 



V 



Bending 
down to the 
earth, crawling 
under the scrub 
oaks, jumping 
over the tanofled 
masses of vines, 
the men slowly 
made their way 
through the 
dense and howl- 
ing wilderness. 
Now they came 
to a creek with 
steep banks, 
windinor slue- 
gishly through 
the jungle. Just 
here the bullets 
of the enemy 
began to whistle. 

" Steady, men ; guide right ; keep up your alignment ! " shouted 
Major Zinn, of the Eighty-fourth, as he swung himself down the 

15 




"halloo, major, have you not lost your alignment?' 



•226 WHAT A BOY SA^V IN THE ARiMY. 

bank and nearly lost his footing in the creek below, barely able 
to save himself a ducking by clinging to a grapevine that grev/ 
close to the edc^e of the water, 

" Halloo, major," replied Jack, as he followed down the steep 
and slippery bank, " have you not lost your alignment, or your 
balance, or something?" 

Just then a shell exploded in the air, and the pieces dropped 
miscellaneously here and there in an unpleasant manner ; and 
a battery farther to the front, in the direction in which the boys 
were pressing their way through the thicket, replied, while word 
was passed down the line : " The rebels are abandoning their 
wagon train and are in full retreat ! We are shelling their rear 
now ! Press on ! " 

This was good news, and forward the boys urged their way, 
until they had gone perhaps two miles into the undergrowth, 
with torn clothes, scratched and bleeding hands and faces, and 
now and then a wound, but with no enemy in sight. Farther on 
the men confidently expected to find the rebels in the shape of 
a rear guard. One charge on that, and the battle, it seemed, 
would be over. In fulfillment of this expectation news came 
from the front, where Sickles was pressing forward : " Lee's army 
is retreatine. We have shelled their waggon train and scattered 
their rear guard and taken five hundred prisoners ! Victory is 
before us ; hurrah, boys, press on ! " And with each dispatch of 
that kind that reached the lines in the woods the boys shouted 
with excitement and enthusiasm and strove with greater eager- 
ness to scramble throuirh the thorn bushes and i^et out into the 
clearing beyond, if there was any to be found. 

By this time the afternoon was waning away, and the troops 
were halted in the forest to re-form their lines. It was about five 
o'clock ; the enemy had disappeared, and Sickles was wondering 
what had become of him. His trains had vanished; his rear 



THE THICKETS OF CHANCELLORSVILLE. 227 

guard had gone ; perhaps he was trying to draw our men out 
a little farther, in order to get them into an ambush. Suddenly, 
in the rear of the line, back in the direction of Chancellorsville, 
two miles or so behind the men of the Third Corps, like a thun- 
derstorm bursting without warning from the azure depths of a 
summer sky, came rattling volleys of musketry, with the booming 
of cannon and the sound of distant yells. Every heart stopped 
beating for one dreadful moment. What did this mean } Sickles 
and all under him supposed the rebels in full retreat southward, 
when, all at once, they were astounded and alarmed with the 
indications of a severe eno-aofement which had burst forth in 
their rear, where the Union lines, taken by surprise, had given 
way, the Confederates having made an overwhelming attack upon 
Hooker's right flank, where no preparations had been made to 
repulse them ! 

Immediately the lines were faced about, and back through 
the forest the Third Corps pressed its way toward the point it 
had left at noon, the battle growing more frightful in all its 
dreadful omens as they neared the field. News came to Sickles 
as he galloped down the road: "Jackson's corps has made a 
flank attack, has broken in the whole Eleventh Corps, has cap- 
tured our rifle pits, and is pressing on to our center. The 
whole army is in imminent danger, and your own corps is almost 
surrounded. Multitudes are flying from the field in panic and 
dismay. Bring back your corps at once, or you will be cut ofif 
from the rest of the army ! " 

And, as the words were spoken, the noise of the struggle 
to the northward of the Third Corps became still more terri- 
ble. Stonewall Jackson, the great and intrepid fighter, all day 
long had been silently leading twenty thousand men around the 
Union army through the forest, with the intention of falling upon 
its right flank, Howard's Eleventh Corps, where no attack had 



228 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

been deemed possible. He had formed his men in line, and at 
about five o'clock had led them in an irresistible onset aofainst 
the unprotected Union line, taking it by surprise, on the flank, 
from a direction in which no one had expected danger to lodge. 
Thousands had been stricken with dismay; pack-mules, wagon 
trains, and artillery had been mingled in a dreadful plight of en- 
tanglement and disaster, and for an hour it appeared as though 
the army w^ould be panic-stricken throughout and driven in utter 
confusion to the fords of the Rappahannock. 

It was during this awful period of impending ruin that Gen- 
eral Pleasonton, with his artillery and cavalry, stemmed the tide 
of defeat. Galloping to the front at the first sound of danger, 
he saw ten thousand men charging in magnificent line against 
the right flank, a great on-coming wave of bayonets sweeping 
down the road, which led directly to Hooker's headquarters and 
the center of the Union line. If they capture the hill on w^hich 
our guns are posted all is lost. Something must be done to gain 
time and save the day ; something must be done to afford op- 
portunity to post the cannon and give a chance to load. Close 
by stood brave Major Keenan, with four hundred Pennsylvania 
cavalrymen. " Charge that advancing line with your men ; do 
what you can to stem the tide till I can plant these guns and fire 
a volley of grape into the face of the enemy." The gallant 
young officer, well knowing that he was about to gallop to cer- 
tain deatli, made a military salute, and replied," I will do it, gen- 
eral," and put spurs to his horse, cried. " P^orward, charge!" and, 
leading his gallant men, swept down the road, four hundred 
mounted men in the teeth of ten thousand bayonets. Sabers 
crossed bayonets, horse and rider tumbled to the earth in the 
close encounter; but the impetuous shock of the heroic cavalry 
charofe could not be withstood, and the onset of the rebels 
was checked iov a few monKMits, while Pleasonton planted his 













vuv\\\\ 



THE THICKETS OF CIiANCELLORSVH.J>E. 281 

twenty guns on the hill and gave command to his artillerists 
to fire, llieir grape swept the road in the front, and by this time 
much of the panic had been stayed, and a line of infantry had 
been formed which sufficed to man the breastworks and afford 
defense to the endangered line. 

While this was in execution the Third Corps was urging its 
way back through the woods, not knowing what was going to 
occur or whether it would be able to rejoin the rest of the army 
or not, the sounds of the battle becoming more frightful and ap- 
palling as the troops drew nearer to the scene. The night put 
an end for awhile to the engagement ; but about midnight Sickles 
ordered another attack, finding that the rebels occupied a part of 
the line which it was of urgent importance for him to regain. For 
an hour the darkness of the forest was lighted up with the glare of 
musketry and flaming explosions from the cannon, and made to 
echo with the fierce yells of the two armies. Sickles's experiment 
was a success, and after an hour of battle the tumult subsided, and, 
exhausted, anxious, and terror-stricken, the soldiers sought respite 
in sleep. Wounded men groaned here and there in the under- 
brush, surgeons went to work to relieve their distress, nurses and 
hospital stewards cared for all who could be reached, but multi- 
tudes lay bleeding and dying between the lines where no help 
could be afforded them. Among the wounded on the Con- 
federate side was Stonewall Jackson himself, who in the night- 
time, between the lines, reconnoitering, was mistaken along with 
his staff and his array of orderlies for a party of Union cavalry 
and fired upon by his own watchful men. His wounds proved to 
be fatal, and he was taken to the rear, and thence to Richmond, 
where, a few days after the battle, his heroic spirit passed into 
eternity. What he might have done next day, if his life had 
been spared, no one can tell. He was Lee's right hand, and that 
great commander was maimed and crippled from this irreparable 



232 



WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 



loss throughout his after course. Stonewall Jackson, the Crom- 
well of the Confederacy, ended his military career in the inflic- 
tion of the most terrific blow he had yet aimed at the Union 
cause, when he incurred his death wounds at Chancellorsville. 

Meanwhile everyone wondered, " What shall be on the mor- 
row? How shall we i^et out of this wilderness ? Who will lead 
off in the attack in the morning.'^ What will be the issues of 
the fight } How about the inglorious flight of the rebels which 
Hooker so sanguinely foretold 7 Are we to repeat the experi- 
ence of Fredericksburg, and march back again to the other side 
of the river, whipped again.?" With these inquiries and fore- 
bodings the Union army lay on its arms to get a few hours of 
sleep before the further battle on the morrow. 







A BATTLE SUNDAY IN THE WILDERNESS. 



233 



CHAPTER XIV. 



A BATTLE SUNDAY IN THE WILDERNESS. 



' ' hausting experiences of the 
dreadful day and the fearful 
night just glimpsed, the 
fight continuing at intervals 
until after midnight, Jack 
tied his horse, and, giving 
him a munch of hay and a 
bite of grain, wandered a 
!<; few paces to one side under 
a tree and dropped off to 
sleep. He did not know in 
the darkness that he had 
strayed aloof from brigade 
headquarters, and so utterly 
exhausted was he that the 
sounds of picket firing in the 
early morning did not rouse him. He still slumbered on, and 
would have wakened a prisoner had it not been for the friendly 
service of a fellow-officer on staff duty. Lieutenant Norton, who, 
after diligent search, shook him roughly and shouted in his ears, 
" Lieutenant Sanderson, wake up ; Colonel Bowman wants you 
at once. The fight has opened ; the brigade is in line of bat- 
tle ; the pickets have begun firing ; we may have to retreat from 




234 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

this point in a little while. Wake up, and get your horse and 
yourself out of this ! " 

The boy could hardly rouse himself out of the stupor of 
complete exhaustion into which he had fallen even with these 
goading words sounding in his ears ; and it needed another shake 
from his mentor's hand to effectually bring him to a sense of the 
situation. 

"Wake up, Jack, the bugles are sounding the 'assembly.' 
We have no time even for coffee. Get up and saddle your pony, 
or you may be captured. Yonder is the brigade in line, and the 
rebels are in strong force in our front. Quick, or it will be too 
late." 

At last Jack was awake. He jumped to his feet, shook his 
clothing to get rid of dirt and leaves, threw the saddle and bridle 
on his horse, and, speedily mounting, hurriedly galloped to the 
point in the field below, not far away, where he saw the brigade 
headquarters flag, at which point now was his post of duty as 
an aid-de-camp. The battle now, apparently, was to be, not in 
the thicket, as the day before, but in an open space, where offi- 
cers on staff duty could use their horses. 

" Well, my boy," said Colonel Bowman, with a mixture of sat- 
ire and humor in his voice and manner, " I hope you have had 
a good night's rest and are awake for all day. You will need 
now all your waking faculties on the alert. We are going to 
have a battle Sunday. Yonder in our front the Twelfth New 
Hampshire is already hotly engaged under its brave commander. 
Colonel Potter. Off to our left you see our men hurrying forth, 
and hereto our right is a battery wheeling into line. You would 
feel better, probably, if you had breakfast, but we have no time 
for that this morning. We are up now for all day, and the fight 
has begun, as you see." 

Jack looked about him unnerved and in some trepidation. 



A BATTLE SUNDAY IN THE WILDERNESS. 235 

In every direction were the increasing sounds of tumultuous 
battle — aids galloping over the hills, batteries hastening into 
position, infantry marching to and fro in the woods in front, and 
off toward the left the continuous rattle of a hot musketry en- 
gagement. The boy began to soliloquize : 

" I wish I had a cup of coffee or something to steady my 
stomach. If I had a bite of cold pork and hard-tack it would 
help me out. My hand trembles and my knees are shaky. I 
do not like a battle anyway, and to go into one before breakfast 
and without a cup of coffee is trying to weak nerves. The battle 
in front erows hotter and hotter, and in a little while we must 
march up into that front line in the woods and face that awful 
cannonade and that sweeping musketry fire ! " 

As the boy thus spoke under his breath, in a shiver of dis- 
may, he saw a stream of wounded men coming out of the woods 
and rushing to the rear, many of them barely able to walk, and 
all anxious to find the hospital. His unstrung nerves became 
still more shaky at the sight, which emphasized the thronging 
perils of the hour, and he continued his self-cogitations: 

" Must we move forward into that slaughter-pen ? Have we 
pluck for the trial when it comes ? I am all in a tremble, and 
my horse shivers with fear, as though he understood also the 
terrible danger. How long: must we stand here in silence and 
take the fire of the rebels in the second line, bullets flying, shells 
exploding, men falling, and no chance to give a blow in return 7 " 

Just then, to his alarm and dismay, he saw the troops to the 
left of Bowman's brigade driven from their rifle pits and their 
low line of earthworks, behind which they had been firing at 
the rebels. The Confederates had been enfilading the Union 
line, and the fire had been so hot as to drive our men out. It 
was a perilous hour. The retreating men left a gap in the Union 
line which was about to be occupied by the advancing Confed- 



236 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

erates, whose threatening Hne showed, eager and desperate, in 
the fringe of woods beyond. It was an hour on which much 
depended. The boy wondered for a moment if all was not lost, 
and whether the disaster was not irremediable, and then glancing 
at the bricrade commander, Colonel Bowman, he was reassured. 
No sign of fear was visible there. His eye flashing with con- 
tagious fire, his sword waving high in air, his voice sounding 
like a trumpet, he sent the inspiration of his own courageous 
example into the whole brigade as he shouted, " Eighty-fourth 
Pennsylvania, left, face ! Forward into the breastworks ! Double 
quick, march ! " 

With the command came new life for Jack. Till that hour 
he had been in danger of a panic, now he felt his face flame 
and his blood boil and his soul all astir. Putting his spurs to 
his horse he rode eagerly on toward the vacated position, which 
the regiment, urged by the example of its brigade commander 
and incited by the heroic conduct of Colonel Opp and Major 
Zinn, was hurrying to seize. There was a race for a few mo- 
ments between some of the advancing rebels and the Eighty- 
fourth to see who would iret there first. Some of the Con- 
federates, in their rashness, pushed a little too far ahead of 
their comrades to escape from the clutches of our own advancing 
troops, and before they could turn back and retrace their steps 
they fell into the hands of the hurrahing regiment, which was 
now safely ensconced behind the barricade that had been hastily 
thrown up the day before along the foot of a short ra\ine. con- 
structed of fence-rails, saplings, and other material ot that kind, 
and covered with a thin scum of earth. Light as it was, it afforded 
shelter and a chance to defend the Union line of battle, and thus 
sufficed for the time being. The Eighty-fourth was followed 
closely by the intrepid One Hundred and Tenth, under Colonel 
Crowther, with exultant shouts ; and these two regiments, hav- 



A BATTLE SUNDAY IN THE WILDERNESS. 



237 



ing secured their post, were at once engaged with the enemy in 
front and off to the flank, the earthworks soon becoming a very 
hot place for its occupants. Jack, in glancing about him, saw 
some rods away to the rear one of the men, who had dropped 
behind a stump on his way to the front, and there he was lying 




"DO NOT SKULK HERE." 



panic-stricken, pallid, cowering with fear. The boy remembered 
the panic which had but lately passed like a thundergust over 
his own soul, and rode back to the spot, which was, indeed, more 
exposed to the rebel fire than the earthworks below at the foot of 
the hill, and spoke to the shivering soldier : " Do not skulk here. 



238 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

Hurry up and join your company. This will be a bad record 
to make if you stay here." As he spoke both of them afforded 
a good mark for the rebels on the other side of the ravine, and 
the bullets began to whistle about their heads and to strike the 
stump behind which the man was seeking to hide. 

"Hurry up and get to your post !" shouted the boy. "You are 
in greater danger here than you would be with your company 
down there." 

Thus encouraged, the man rose and made a break for his 
post, and there did valiant service for the hour, which was to be 
fraught with momentous issues for the whole command. 

Still the bullets showered on the hillside and descended into 
the vale, and in all directions the struggle became desperate. 
Stonewall Jackson's men, now in command of the valiant Jeb 
Stuart, were making heroic attempts to drive in the Union 
right flank, against which they had directed their awful charge 
the evening before. 

Looking off to the left of the position, in the woods across 
the little valley, the boy saw something moving. Peering in- 
tently in that direction with keener gaze, he thought he saw a 
suspicious movement among the forest trees and in the under- 
brush. Turning to Lieutenant Norton, of the staff, he said, 
" Lend me your glass. I believe the rebels are moving to our left 
through the woods yonder." Taking the field glass, and steadying 
himself for a moment, and trying to keep his restless horse, 
agitated by the terrific sounds of the battle, c^uiet for a moment, 
Jack was horrified to find, by means of the telescope in his hand, 
that the woods at which he was looking were crowded with 
troops in gray and brown, moving by the Hank, in a direction 
which would insure from their <:runs an enfiladinir fire on the 
position which the brigade had but lately assumed. Colonel 
Bowman was not far away, and to him in great excitement Jack 



A BATTLE SUNDAY IN THE WILDERNESS. 239 

shouted : " Colonel, we are being flanked. The rebels are cross- 
ing through the woods yonder in heavy force. You can see 
them now in the edge of the underbrush. If they get around to 
our left we will be taken in front and on flank, and may be sur- 
rounded." 

The brigade commander looked in that direction, and in- 
stantly replied: "Jack, ride with all speed to General Whipple's 
headquarters, yonder where the battery on the hill is stationed, 
and tell him of this movement. We will be flanked unless that 
matter is checked." 

Jack needed only a word, for he saw the danger that threat- 
ened the troops, and digging his spurs into the flank of his horse 
he galloped across the field, now swept with bullets and covered 
with smoke, to the place where General Whipple and General 
Sickles were stationed. Dashing up to one of the staff officers 
there, he saluted and shouted : " Captain Dalton, the rebels are 
moving by the flank right across our front yonder through the 
woods. They are there in heavy force, and unless they 
are stopped the men who are in the trenches yonder will be 
flanked." 

The officers looked in the direction indicated, and then quickly 
turned to the battery commander, after a word with General 
Whipple, and ordered some shells sent into the edge of the 
forest where the movement was being carried on under shelter 
of the trees and underbrush. 

Even from division headquarters the movement of troops 
could be discerned in the distance. One shell after another was 
fired into the forest, and the movement seemed to be arrested, 
when Jack galloped back to his post. As it turned out after- 
ward, the Confederates did not stop in their course, but simply 
veered off into the woods to escape observation, and in half an 
hour more accomplished the purpose which they had been keep- 



240 WHAT A BOY SAW IX THE ARMY. 

ing in mind and which had been foreseen by those who discov- 
ered the movement. Jack, returning to the advanced Hne, found 
that brisk fighting had been going on, as the cheering, the rat- 
tHng and heavy musketry fire, and the clouds of smoke all indi- 
cated. On arrival he found that two Southern battle flags and 
a dozen prisoners had been captured by the regiment. Colonel 
Bowman said to the boy : " Take an orderly and present this 
captured flag and these prisoners to the division provost 
marshal with the compliments of our brigade, and then join 
us again." 

Jack was quite proud to be the bearer of this message and 
to have charge of such an embassage and such a trophy, and 
proceeded with all haste to carry out his orders. In order to 
escape the terrific fire of shell and grape that w^as now sweeping 
the plain from the rebel guns the little party took to the woods 
and proceeded under the cover of the trees to the place ap- 
pointed in advance as the rendezvous for prisoners and for 
trophies of the battle. Even in the woods, however, the effects 
of the firing were dreadful, limbs falling to the earth, cut to 
pieces by cannon balls and in some cases by bullets, shells 
dropping here and there and exploding as they fell, and the 
earth quaking and the air resounding from the frightful concus- 
sions of the battle, which was plainly getting more fierce every 
instant. The faces of the prisoners, weary, pallid, haggard, 
affrighted, as they pressed on under guard, and hurried to get 
away from the bloody scene, glad to get out of the battle, even 
as prisoners of war, made an impression on the boy's memory 
that time has not yet effaced. Now the captured flag caught in 
the undergrowth and had to be extricated, and now a battery 
hurrying into position stopped up the path, and anon a wounded 
horse, with a leg cut off by a cannon ball, was hobbling off in 
agony to die, while hundreds of bleeding men on foot or on 



A BATTLE SUNDAY IN THE WILDERNESS. 241 

Stretchers were hurrying to the rear or being borne off to the 
hospital. 

Arriving at the edge of the woods and looking back, the boy 
saw a terrific picture of tumult and slaughter. While clouds of 
smoke covered the scene, yet here and there the curtain lifted and 
disclosed the Union lines in imminent danger. The attack on 
them was being pressed with desperate vigor. Jeb Stuart was 
clearly doing his utmost to show that he was equal to the emer- 
gency created by the departure of Jackson from the field. Before 
Jack could deliver up his prisoners and the captured flag and 
return to the brigade the advanced line occupied by it had been 
forced back. The rebels had made their flank movement, had 
driven in a portion of the Twelfth Corps, and had come in upon 
the very rear of the gallant Eighty-fourth and the One Hundred 
and Tenth. While the boys were occupied with the force in their 
front they were amazed to find themselves suddenly attacked on 
the left flank and in the rear, and looking around they heard a 
hundred voices shout, "Surrender, lay down your arms; you are 
prisoners." 

The companies farthest from the Union lines in the angle 
of the fortifications had nothing else to do but surrender, and 
they did so in indignation and wrath, some of the bravest of 
them, however, refusing to yield, and being shot down at their 
post. 

Others, nearer the Union line, clubbed their muskets, made a 
desperate resistance, and with wounds, and by the skin of their 
teeth, fled from the captured trenches and escaped into the re- 
treating ranks. 

Meanwhile Jack was cut off from his command. He had 
delivered up his prisoners, had handed over the flag, and was 
now free to return to his post. Where was it 7 The command 
had been driven out of their intrenchments. To attempt to 

16 



242 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

return thither was to rush into the jaws of certain death. What 
position had the corps now taken ? 

Suddenly, in his bewilderment, in the crowd of rushing troops 
and amid the wheeling batteries and the galloping staff officers, 
he discerned a familiar face, that of Captain Fribley, the assist- 
ant adjutant general of the brigade. " Captain," Jack shouted, 
"where is the command.? Where are you going.? How can 
we get back to the boys } " 

The captain, with features that could hardly be maintained 
in composure amid the fluctuating emotions that overran them, 
at first could not speak ; then with effort he replied : 

" Well, boy, you barely got out of the worst snap you were 
ever in. That batch of prisoners and that flag saved your life. 
Just after you left for division headquarters the fire became hot- 
ter than I ever saw it before. The Confederates that you saw 
moving around to our left poured in an awful shower of bullets 
on our line, taking us with a raking fire which enfiladed our 
ranks, but we stood it like men. At last Colonel Bowman sent 
me to say to General Sickles that we must have help or we 
could not hold that post. I had barely delivered the message 
when, looking back, I saw our boys almost surrounded. I hur- 
ried toward them, but it was too late for any help to be given. 
Captain Peterman was shot in the head, Lieutenant Jackson was 
taken prisoner, and maybe two hundred others are dead, 
wounded, or in the hands of the rebels. I galloped over here to 
the headquarters of General Hooker to see if reinforcements for 
the Third Corps could be had, but I found that General Hooker 
was knocked senseless by a falling pillar of the Chancellor 
House, and his staff are in bewilderment and no one knows what 
to do. Two or three other army corps are lying about in the 
woods without firing a gun, and Sickles has to bear the brunt of 
the whole morning engagement." 






o 
o 

ft 

o 
w 

H 
CO 

> 
o 

H 
O 

H 

w 
w 
o 
>< 




A BATTLE SUNDAY IN THE WILDERNESS. 245 

Jack listened with pallid face to this sad story and gulped 
back a tear as he thought of his comrades whom he had left a 
half hour before, now dead, wounded, or in the hands of the 
rebels and doomed to captivity in Southern prisons. 

" How about Colonel Opp, and Major Zinn, and Colonel 
Bowman, and Adjutant Mather?" 

" They are safe, and we will find them by and by, I reckon ; 
where the new line of battle is I am sure I cannot tell, but we 
will search for it." 

And on through the thicket, shunning the open field which 
was still swept with a murderous fire from the rebel guns, the two 
picked their way to the front. Soon they came to an open space 
that was clearly too dangerous to be crossed without urgent 
reason, and they halted in doubt. 

"Jack," said Captain Fribley, "we cannot get over this field 
now, and I am gfoinof to have a bit to eat while we are detained. 
Here is a bale of hay for our horses, and we can make a cup of 
coffee in ten minutes, and by that time this disorder may be 
checked and we may be able to find our brigade. The whole 
line is on the retreat now, and it will be some time before they 
can be placed in proper position." 

With the words the two dismounted in the edge of the woods, 
gave their exhausted horses a bite of hay, and proceeded to pre- 
pare a meager meal for themselves. The day was scorchingly hot, 
the woods were full of suffocating smoke from the battle, and 
the tension of their nerves had been since dawn strained to the 
utmost limit of endurance. They felt as though they must have 
a bit of nourishment or drop in exhaustion. The coffee was 
hardly made before signs of increasing danger, and of disorder 
among the troops, were seen to be multiplying. The army was 
being forced back from the hill occupied by Sickles and Howard 
the night before ; how far they would be driven was now a question. 



246 



WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 



The boy, in his anxiety, exclaimed: "Captain Fribley, don't 
you think the whole line may be forced back? Is there any 
danger of our men being driven back to the river? This looks 
like such a movement." 

"O no, boy!" was the reassuring response of the captain; 




THEY PROCEEUr.U TO I'RKPARi: A .MKAGKR MEAL. 

"never fear, we will c^^et out of this all right. Hooker has 
enough men to whip Lee if he will only use them. That line 
of earthworks In rc^ar of the Chancellor House that we saw a 
while ago is the post to be occupied by our men as they fall 
back. The rebels cannot break through that. It would be a 
good thing for us if they would try to drive us to the river. It 



A BATTLE SUNDAY IN THE WILDERNESS. 247 

is not often that Lee attacks us ; if he only presses this attack 
far enough and makes Hooker fight we will whip the rebels out 
of their boots ! " 

Just then an officer rode by, coming from the direction of the 
river. Upon being hailed and asked for news, he replied : " Sedg- 
wick has taken Fredericksburg, and is in the rear of Lee, push- 
ing this way. All that Hooker needs to do now is to use his 
troops, and the thing is settled ! " 

This news was heartening and glorious indeed, and, in spite of 
the dismal surroundings, and the terrific slaughter, and the tem- 
porary retreat, the officers felt encouraged. As they were about 
to mount their horses again, having lunched with appetite in- 
cited to omnivorous proportions on hard-tack, cold meat, and 
coffee, and feeling renewed for the work before them. Captain 
Fribley suddenly cried out, " The woods are on fire ! Look 
yonder; the underbrush is burning all along our front." 

With horrified faces the two stood for a moment, appalled 
with terror and dismay and an overwhelming sense of helpless- 
ness. They were not in danger themselves, but the sight before 
them meant death by slow torture for multitudes of wounded 
men in the bushes. Far and wide the flames extended, here and 
there checked for a while by the exertions of the troops on both 
sides, who dug trenches and whipped out the fire with bunches of 
weeds or rude brooms, made of switches of birch or beech bound 
compactly together ; but in spite of these exertions the fire 
spread for miles through the forest, finishing the work of destruc- 
tion begun by the two armies. Hundreds of wounded men, 
rebels and Union soldiers alike, helpless, bleeding, choking with 
heat and smoke, struggled for a few desperate moments to get 
out of the furnace of fire which surrounded them, watched in 
dismay and ghastly despair the crackling flames approach them, 
wondered if they were to be abandoned to die in this fashion, 



248 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

and then, in bitter anguish, were slowly burned to death. War 
is always a dreadful thing, but on this battle Sunday in the 
Wilderness it assumed aspects of terror and brought with it 
visitations of anguish which crowned it with a climax of unutter- 
able horror. To be wounded and left to die on the held, to 
suffer the intolerable pain of fevered thirst which inevitably fol- 
lows, and have no water to drink, and then to be slowly tortured 
to death by forest fires, surely this doom can hardly be surpassed 
in the annals of war. 

The officers had hardly mounted when Jack cried out, " The 
rebels have captured General Hooker's headquarters at the 
Chancellor House! Our army has been driven nearly two miles 
this morning already ! It Is about time to hear from Sedgwick 
if he is going to do anything for us to-day." 

The plain In their front was still swept by the incessant artil- 
lery fire of the enemy. Masses of troops, miscellaneously mixed 
together, without order. In confusion and distress, their ammu- 
nition exhausted, their wounded left on the field, their cannon cap- 
tured, were slowly and sullenly flying across the fields before the 
rebels, who were pusliing after them. In half an hour, how- 
ever, the troops were stationed behind tlie new line of breast- 
works that had been thrown up by direction of Hooker in the 
rear of the first line, covering the roads that led to the river, 
and here they felt they could hold their place against the Con- 
federates. 

"The Chancellor House is on fire!" suddenly cried out 
Captain Fribley, as they rode slowly through the retreating 
troops trying to find the Tliird Corps and join the command to 
which they belonged. 

"It was used as a hospital, and was full of wounded men. 
Alas for the boys now ! " was the rc]>ly of Jack, as his heart was 
transfixed with this new phase of the battle. 



A BATTLE SUNDAY IN THE WILDERNESS. 249 

By this time they had reached the breastworks in the edge 
of the woods, where the remnant of the brigade was found. The 
battle had spent its force, and there was a lull for a while, the 
silence of which was rudely broken by the sounds of an engage- 
ment raging down toward Fredericksburg. 

"Hurrah, boys!" shouted Colonel Bowman, with exciting 
tones, " do you hear that music ? Sedgwick is attacking Lee in 
the rear. He is on his way up the river to our aid. That move- 
ment ought to insure a decisive victory in spite of our reverses 
to-day and yesterday." 

The boys listened with flashing eyes and throbbing pulses, 
reflecting that the battle might open again at any moment all 
along their present front. What was their amazement, however, 
when that whole afternoon passed away without any order to 
advance. The line of earthworks was made stronger ; trees were 
cut down and piles of logs were erected in military fashion by 
the engineers as a shelter for the cannoneers, and the fortifica- 
tions were soon considered impregnable. But, meanwhile, the 
heft of Lee's army was concentrating on gallant Sedgwick six 
miles away, and no counter attack was ordered by Hooker, whose 
energies, in some strange way, suddenly suffered a complete 
collapse. Sedgwick was driven to the river, and escaped, after 
a desperate struggle, across the fords and bridges, without a gun 
being fired on that terrible Sunday, or on the following day, to 
relieve him from an attack which was overwhelming. No fur- 
ther fighting occurred along the line except an occasional skir- 
mish. The two armies lay at bay, watching each other like two 
wild beasts which had torn and crippled each other in a savage 
encounter, and were each waiting for the other to make the first 
move. 

The division commander of the Third Corps, the noble and 
brave General Whipple, was a victim of the battle on Monday. 



250 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

A sharpshooter in a tree half a mile away in the rebel line got 
range of our men and picked them off, at his leisure, one by one. 
Among those who were wounded was General Whipple. The 
rain was falling drearily, and at the foot of a tree the gallant 
soldier lay, where he had fallen, with a bullet through his body, 
wounded unto death. A few of his staff gathered about him, 
and a Catholic chaplain was sent for to administer the sacrament 
of extreme unction, the service i"or the dying, to the bleeding 
officer. When he arrived the scene was pathetic in the extreme 
— the tearful and stricken officers mourning the expected death 
of their beloved general, the prayers of the devout priest ascend- 
ing to heaven for the salvation of the dying man, the sinking 
and almost breathless figure of the general himself, his battles 
over, his work done, his end drawing near, the pallor on his brow, 
and the chill of death at his heart — all this made up a picture 
which those who saw it can never forget. 

On Tuesday night. May 5, a rainstorm set in which caused 
the river in the rear of the Union army to rise suddenly and 
threateningly. That night, one by one, the regiments of the 
Union army were withdrawn ; nobody was allowed to sleep; it 
was intimated in all directions, " Boys, we are going to retreat 
again to our old camps at Falmouth. Keep wide awake, or you 
will be left behind." 

Drenched to the skin, sinking into the mud at every step, 
the way barricaded by wagon trains and artillery and ambulances, 
the roads chock full of troops, retreating step by step through 
the darkness and tempest, the weary army made its way through 
the woods again back toward the United States Ford. Here 
the pontoons had been broken by the rising river, and delays 
occurred in order to repair damages. The strain on the nerves 
of the boys under such circumstances can perhaps be imagined. 
No one wanted to awaken the suspicions or even draw the 



A BATTLE SUNDAY IN THE WILDERNESS. 



251 



attention of the rebels in front. The horrors of a night engage- 
ment and the danger of a panic must be avoided. Keeping 
their eyes turned toward the rear, watching lest the advancing 
skirmishers might suddenly open fire from the woods, grieved 
with unutterable sorrow that so many lives had been thrown 
away and an opportunity wasted that promised a great victory, 
and wondering when this cruel war would be over, the troops 
went through the mud and rain toward their old winter quar- 
ters camp at Stoneman's Switch, waiting for the next move in 
the game of war. 

It would be hard to tell which side was most relieved that 
day when finally the Union army stood intact on the left bank 
of the Rappahannock. The rebels were so glad to get rid of 
their foes that they did not make any attack or, by even the 
firing of a gun along the picket line, disturb the Union army 
on its retreat. And the soldiers in Hooker's rear euard that 
morning, who watched the successive portions of the army cross 
the pontoons, in suspense for hours lest at the last they might 
themselves be captured, surely knew what it was to draw " a free 
breath " when finally the order was given to step on the bridges, 
and in a few moments they found themselves escaped from the 
thickets of Chancellorsville ! 




252 



WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 



CHAPTER XV. 



"about, face! NORTHWARD, MARCH ! " 




HAT next .^" was a familiar, 

oft-repeated question for a 

full month after the reverses at 

Chancellorsville, in the tents, 

log^ huts, and mud houses of 

.-_ the Army of the Potomac. It 

was uttered along the picket line, 

pondered at the bivouac fire, and 



' --/x^Llc '. ^^=^\j--. turned over and over at the mess 







table. " What next } " said Gen- 
eral Hooker to himself and to his 
most intimate staff officers and 
to his corps commanders, perhaps, 
when he counseled with them. 
" Who is to make the next move in the game.? Will the Union 
army march across the Rappahannock again ? Shall we change 
our base of operations, seeking to approach Richmond from an- 
other quarter and in a new direction ? Or will General Lee try 
to attack our line, or make a flank march against us, or venture 
to strike us in the rear ?" 

" What next ? " was the anxious question spoken in perplexity, 
and almost in dismay, at Washington, by the burdened Lincoln, 
and the scientific Halleck, and the fretting, fuming, impatient 
Stanton. " Who will secun,' us a decisive victory at the head of 



" ABOUT, FACE ! NORTHWARD, MARCH ! " 253 

the Army of the Potomac ? Who will prove himself master of 
the situation, and marshal our hosts so as to win ? " 

And so in the army itself, by the swollen waters of the 
Rappahannock, out over the hills of Stafford, and across the 
wasted fields, from which crops, fences, outbuildings, and all 
things movable had been taken away, was heard the same puz- 
zling inquiry, " What next ? " Even the contrabands took it up 
and puzzled their woolly heads with the difficulties of the mili- 
tary situation, wondering, "What is Massa Hooker done gwine 
to do wid dish yer big army?" And while the question was 
being asked the weeks went by and the early days of leafy 
June arrived. Then the question was settled and definitely 
answered by General Lee himself, who concluded that he would 
not wait for another attack from General Hooker ; that he 
would not stand on the defensive any longer, but that he would 
invade the North. 

The Army of the Potomac had been warned, throughout the 
whole of May, after the battle of Chancellorsville, to be ready for 
any sort of work that might develop ; but nobody thought there 
was any hurry in the case, until one day couriers were seen fly- 
ing in all directions, with orders to march in two hours with 
sparse baggage and plenty of ammunition ! 

That stirred up everybody into a condition of consternation 
and bewilderment. " Whither are we going.? What is up } What 
is all this hurrying about ? " And in response there was no 
other explanation but : " Pack up, men ; we have no time to lose. 
Leave all your winter quarter paraphernalia, all your comforts, 
all your furniture, all your knickknacks, here in the care of the 
quartermaster department. We have no room on the wagons 
for stoves, mess chests, dishes, cots, and other litter of that sort. 
Ship all such stuff to Washington for storage. Leave it here in 
charge of the post quartermaster, and you may get it again some- 



254 . WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

time hereafter. But hurry and get ready ! We march in a lit- 
tle over an hour. We will not be back here again ! Hurry / " 

In the midst of the exciting scene came other news that dis- 
commoded Jack not a little. The brigade was to be rearranged. 
Colonel Bowman was to command his own regiment, and Gen- 
eral Carr was to take the brigade. The brigade staff was not 
needed by the new commander, who had his own assistants al- 
ready designated. The officers, Jack included, who had luxuri- 
ated in the possession of horses to ride, and other perquisites of 
staff duty, were remanded to their companies, where they had to 
go afoot. That was a sore disappointment to the boy. His 
company had its gallant captain, Bryan, and its brave second lieu- 
tenant. Smith, already on duty with it, and there were not more 
than thirty men in it, so that it seemed like a waste of raw ma- 
terial to assign three commissioned officers to service with the 
company. 

However, he had to submit, and with a sore and sinking heart 
he gave up his horse, which he had ridden so gayly and proudly 
for four or five months on parade, on review, and in battle, and 
tried to make up his mind to accept the foot service now before 
him with due resignation. 

The hurry and commotion, the stir and haste, the excitement 
and effervescence of the scattered camps of the Arm)- of the Poto- 
mac that day maybe fitly likened to the fermentation occasioned 
in a wasp's big nest when stirred up by a long pole. W^agons 
were driven hurriedly from the place where they had been parked 
and were loaded with desperate haste ; tents were torn down 
in a jiffy; the stuff that had accumulated througli the winter- 
quarter stay in front of P^redericksburg was sifted out, some of 
it thrown away or ])urnt, and tliat which was valuabh; packed up 
for shipment to Washington ; knapsacks were rolled up and 
thrown into a pile ready to be slung on the multitudinous shoul- 



" ABOUT, FACE ! NORTHWARD, MARCH ! " 255 

ders of the great army ; staff officers and generals were to be seen 
galloping in all directions, arraying their troops in marching 
order ; a final ration of fresh beef was stowed away in the wagons 
for immediate use on the march ; the few cattle on the hoof 
that remained uneaten were driven off to the North, guarded by 
the cavalry, sure to be killed and devoured before many days rolled 
by; bugles were sounded in all directions, and in a flutter of ex- 
citement, in a fever of wonderment and trepidation, aglow with 
curiosity and kindling with military ardor, nearly seventy thou- 
sand men set out on their march northward along the left bank 
of the Rappahannock River. 

Amid the preparations for the march, and in its early stages, 
there was but one word that was emphasized, " Hurry up." Ev- 
erybody felt that the business that was in hand required haste 
— urgent, instant, imperative haste. Nobody seemed to know 
anything about the situation except that Lee was making a move 
that must at all risks and with all possible speed be checkmated. 

In three hours after the marching orders were distributed the 
army began its journey away from its quarters in front of Fred- 
ericksburg, the long trains of baggage and ammunition wagons, 
flanked, preceded, and followed by guards, taking the safest 
roads ; the cavalry trotting in the distance ahead of the other 
troops (most of that arm of the service, indeed, having set out 
in advance several days before, had already crossed the river 
and uncovered Lee's movements) ; the artillery wheeling into 
line and lumbering along the dusty highways ; the generals, with 
their brilliant array of staff officers, riding proudly at the head 
of their commands ; and the long lines of blue-coated infantry, 
laden with well-filled haversacks, knapsacks, and cartridge-boxes, 
and girded about with their blankets and carrying their muskets 
" at will," sallied forth, taking up the line of march and proceed- 
ing in utter uncertainty across the hot and dusty plains. 



256 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

The boys were sorely tried by that first day's march, and still 
more severely tested by the days and nights of weariness that fol- 
lowed. They had made no long marches in haste for months ; 
the campaigns in front of Fredericksburg had not imposed any 
strenuous tax on their pedal extremities, and it took some time 
to limber up their legs and put them in first class marching trim. 

The day was in part spent before the Third Corps made 
much headway on its journey, so that night overtook it on its 
route of march, " Close up, boys," was the order that ran along 
the ranks from time to time, sounding in the ears of the faint, 
the weary, and the straggling troops like goads to urge them on 
with more rapid pace. 

The roads were dusty, the day was hot, and no chance had 
been afforded for rest or meals, and the march was becoming 
irksome and worrying. " Are we going to march all night } " 
growled one of the boys. " Is there to be no let-up to this busi- 
ness ? Do they think our legs are made of cast-iron 7 " 

" Cheer up, boys!" was the hearty reply of Captain Bryan. 
" We must keep up with Johnny Reb. It won't do to let him 
get ahead of us. Uncle Joe Hooker would not hurry us up in 
this fashion if it was not necessary. Where are we going to 
camp to-night, major } " continued the captain to Major Zinn, as 
the latter rode along by his side. 

" We do not know yet," was the reply. " It seems that we 
arc to keep our eyes on the fords of the river and keep the 
rebels from crossing over this way if they show any sign of want- 
ing to do such a thing." 

Just then a staff officer rode by and gave directions to Col- 
onel Bowman about the matter under discussion, and " Hartwood 
Church" was announced as the destination for the night. It 
was now dark, and several miles were before the regiment yet 
before any supper or sleep could be secured, and additional 

• 




^ 1 ;^■f!ff 



17 



'•'^ -i'>^»f1llli 



"ABOUT, FACE! NORTHWARD, MARCH!" 259 

directions had been received to make all possible speed on the 
march. " Crowd your troops. Let there be no lagging. Press 
them forward with all possible haste," were the orders, and the 
tired soldiers doggedly persevered in their journey, knowing that 
if they dropped out by the way they were likely to be taken pris- 
oners by the rebel cavalry. 

At Hartwood Church a brief chance was afforded for rest, but 
before daylight came the bugles sounded anew, and, after a swig of 
coffee and a bite of breakfast, the boys started on again, still press- 
ing cheerily up the river (understanding that the guns of Gen- 
eral Lee might presently be heard thundering against their left 
flank), on the alert for an attack at any moment, and meanwhile 
in total and perplexing ignorance of what was really going on 
in connection with the whole movement. The general officers, 
of course, and some of their staff, had a larger view of these 
operations, and understood what the various marching columns 
were intended to do and what Lee was attempting on his part ; 
but the men themselves saw only a very small part of the move- 
ment, and perhaps at the time knew much less of what was going 
on than the people at home who read the papers, and thus, by 
means of army correspondence, kept track of the campaign. 

Dust, filling the air, stifling the lungs, and begriming the 
faces of the boys in blue, rose high toward the sky, forming tall 
and conspicuous columns whereby the movements of the men 
were plainly indicated from afar. The " branches " and springs 
were almost dried up, and it was difficult to find good drinking 
water anywhere along the route of march, so that the sufferings 
of the army from thirst became torturesome as they marched 
over the barren region along the Rappahannock River, which 
had been scathed, stricken, peeled, and smitten by both armies 
ever since the beginning of the civil war, the Union and the 
Confederate troops successively overrunning every inch of its 



260 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

soil, sweeping away fences, destroying crops, burning up out- 
buildings, until no bloom, no spear of grass, no horse or cow or 
sheep or fowl, no garden or fenced inclosure, and not a single 
adult male inhabitant was to be found anywhere over the deso- 
late territory. 

After a terrific march in the heat, the soldiers who had been 
stricken into helplessness by the oppressive rays of the burning 
sun beinor laden on the ambulances until these were more than full, 
the command arrived at Bealeton Station, on the Orange and 
Alexandria Railroad. " Colonel," was the direction of General 
Humphreys, at the head of the division, to Colonel Bowman, 
" take your men to Rappahannock Station, guard the bridge, 
resist any attack that may be made from that direction, and 
burn tlie bridge if necessary to keep the rebels from crossing 
to this side." 

Exhausted already by their onerous march, the grimy and 
hungry men had to turn their faces toward the river and march 
several miles along its banks on picket duty, not knowing when 
a whistling bullet or an exploding bomb might signify the open- 
ing of another great battle. A day was spent in this service 
without discovering any signs of immediate danger, and then the 
march was resumed, the column heading northward. 

On Saturday night, June 13, a message came from General 
Humphreys directing the detail of a lieutenant for duty at head- 
quarters of the division, as assistant provost marshal of the com- 
mand. Scanning the regiment for an officer, it was found that 
Jack Sanderson could be spared from his company, as there were 
three commissioned officers on duty with it, while the most of 
the other companies had but two present for duty, which was as 
many as any of them needed, in view of the depleted number of 
the command. What, therefore, was Jack's amazement and anx- 
iety that night when, just as he was about to sink down on his 



" ABOUT, FACE ! NORTHWARD, MARCH ! " 261 

rubber blanket and subside into the sleep of a weary soldier, he 
received an official document containing the following assign- 
ment : 

" Headquarters Second Division, Third Army Corps, 
" Near Rappahannock Station, Va., June 13, 1863. 

" Special Ordei^s, No. — . 

" First Lieutenant Jack Sanderson, Company B, Eighty-fourth 
Pennsylvania Volunteers, is hereby detached from his regiment 
for special duty at division headquarters as assistant provost 
marshal. He will report to the brig.-general commanding at 
once on receipt of this order. He will be obeyed and respected 
accordingly. 

" By order of Brigadier General A. A. Humphreys. 

"Charles Hamlin, 

" Assistant Adjutant General," 

"What does this mean .r^ " was the exclamation of Jack as he 
read with astonishment the order, rubbing his eyes to get them 
wide enough open to comprehend the situation. 

Sergeant Major Rissell, with his usual roguish twinkle in his 
eye, replied : " I guess it means just what it says. You may get 
a horse to ride and have a chance to hurry up the stragglers and 
look after things about division headquarters, and all that sort 
of thing. Sorry to lose you, lieutenant, but glad that we are 
going to have one of our boys on duty up there. Maybe you 
can serve a fellow a good turn one of these days." And away 
ran the light-hearted fellow, ruddy of cheek, cheery of heart, and 
inaccessible to fatigue, melancholy, or fear. 

Jack betook himself at once to the colonel, and asked him 
about the matter. " I cannot give you any further light on 
the case. General Humphreys wanted a trusted officer to serve 



262 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

as commander of his provost guard, and you have been chosen, 
and you are to go. So get ready." 

" But, colonel, must I go away off to division headquarters at 
this hour of the night. I am just about ready for bed, and I 
am fagged out. I must pack up my traps and get ready, so that 
what little baggage I have can be taken along with me. Will it 
do if I report for duty the first thing in the morning?" This 
was the utterance of the boy as he pondered the case over and 
over. 

" Yes, go to division headquarters as soon as it is dawn. We 
march to-morrow, early in the morning, and you must be there to 
take charge of your new command. Good night." 

This was a turning-point in the history of the boy, although 
he did not dream of it then. This assignment to the new duty at 
division headquarters, as it finally turned out, gave him an un- 
usual opportunity to see the battle of Gettysburg. On detached 
service he accompanied the division to that great field and 
shared in the experiences of that critical struggle, while the reg- 
iment, the day before the battle opened, was assigned to guard 
the wagon trains of the command, thirty miles from the scene of 
the desperate conflict. If he had remained with the regiment he 
would never have been a participant in the dreadful combat 
which proved to be the turning-point in the history of the nation 
and the pivotal struggle in the life of the government. As the 
bo\- accepted the assignment and proceeded to arrange for a 
change of quarters, and racked his brain and knitted his brows 
in the vain effort to make out beforehand whether he would like 
the new post or not, he little thought tliat much of his future 
life would in reality be shaped by the turn which events were at 
that monient taking. It may suffice here for the moment, in pass- 
ing, to say that the boy's after life to a very great extent was 
shaped, in many regards, and in far-reaching aspects and relations, 



"ABOUT, FACE! NORTHWARD, MARCH!" 2b3 

by the fact that he was a participant in the battle of Gettysburg, 
a matter that was determined by this order detailing him for 
duty at division headquarters. 

Early next morning Jack reported for duty to General Hum- 
phreys, a well-proportioned, military-looking officer in middle 
life, with a keen, searching eye, a face in which mingled signs 
both of the soldier and the scholar, and an air of quiet dignity 
which betokened possibilities of power held in reserve, stored 
away for use in any emergency that might occur. This was 
General Humphreys, one of the ablest men in the army, and 
a remarkably self-poised, benignant, and considerate gentleman. 

Lieutenant Sanderson was introduced to a party of nearly a 
hundred men and put in immediate command of them. Captain 
Russell serving as his superior. " These men are to serve as 
headquarters guard. Sometimes you will lead the march and 
sometimes you will act as rear guard. You will detail men to 
put up and take down our tents on the march, station sentries 
when we camp, and be ready for whatever other duties may de- 
velop as we proceed on our journey." With this injunction 
Captain Russell rode away with the other officers of the staff, 
giving directions to Jack to bring up the rear of the division, 
keeping the ranks well closed up, arresting all stragglers, and 
keeping his eyes open in view of a possible attack on the march- 
ing column. 

What a day of oppression, of taxing toil, of exhausting and 
utterly prostrating labor that was for the boy and for those 
under his command! The division began its march early in the 
morning, and did not halt, except for a few moments at odd inter- 
vals, until it reached Manassas Junction, the scene of the first 
battle of Bull Run. Jack had to follow toilfully in the rear of 
the division, urging up the bummers, arresting those who were bent 
on straggling, cheering on the faint-hearted, helping the sick to 



264 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

the ambulance corps, prodding on his own men who were giving 
out, and wondering amid the heat, the dust, the fatigue, whether 
the day would ever come to an end. He found it impossible to 
keep up on foot, and no horse as yet had been furnished to him ; 
and so it happened, toward the close of the day, that he found 
himself, with a little squad of men — all that was left of the rear 
guard — miles in the rear. The march had been delayed at times 
by bad roads, slough-holes where the artillery horses floundered 
and stuck; and then when the troops got across these bad places 
they were hurried forward by sharp and imperative orders to 
" keep closed up," so that they were on a nervous strain all the 
while from dawn till darkness. When night finally closed in 
Jack and his little band of exhausted men were far in the rear, 
trying in vain to bring up stragglers, and to frighten or otherwise 
hasten forward those who had fallen out of ranks on the march. 
" Come, men, don't linger here ; the rebels are following us up, 
and you may be caught. Press on a little farther. No strag- 
glers are allowed to remain behind. We have positive orders to 
bring up every man and leave none in the rear." With this 
word on his lips he and his noncommissioned officers were busy 
all day long increasing the number of miles traversed by the 
meanderings which they had to make to carry out instructions 
and close up the ranks. " Liftenant," said the Irish sergeant, 
McBride, who served with the provost guard, as the day wore 
away, and increased rather than lessened the labors that taxed 
the little body of men, " it is not the length of the road that 1 
mind so much as the width of it. Sure I've got cross-eyed 
already to-day thrying to kape my two eyes on both sides ol 
the road at once on the watch for stragglers. The two legs o' 
me have both got twisted up after the same fashion. This sort 
of work is worse than Jersey tanglefoot to give a man the blind 
staggers. I've been shovin' one man and shakin' another man, 



ABOUT, FACE! NORTHWARD, MARCH!" 



265 



an' hurryin' this one and chasin' that one, till I can hardly stand. 
Now, liftenant, one thing I'd loike to know." 

" Well, sergeant, what is it? Speak quick, there is a bummer 
yonder waiting for a little encouragement from you. He is about 
to make a cup of coffee, and if he stops to do that the gray-backs 
will have him sure, for 
they are following 
close on behind. 
Speak out your ques- 
tion, and then keep 
on at your work." 

This was the re- 
sponse of the n o w 
overtaxed and ex- 
hausted Jack. 

" Well, liftenant, 
what I'm puzzled 
about is this : We 
have orders to kape 
the division well ~~^^g 
closed up, and to put 
all the straofoflers un- 
der arrest. Who is 

goin' to kape us closed up } Who is goin' to act as rear guard 
fur us and bring us into our camp } We've been laggin' behind 
for two hours, and one afther another has fallen out and bin 
picked up by the ambulances, and now they're gone on, and we 
are lift behind, and who is goin' to close us up ? That's what's 
in my mind." And away he hurried to gently prod with his 
bayonet a bummer who was minded to resist his authority and 
to remain behind, whether or no. 

After that, as night grew dense and thick, the boy's mind 




SERGEANT MCBRIDE. 



266 



WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 



became numb and hazy. During the crossing of Bull Run on a 
narrow bridge, impeded by a gully or something of the sort at 
the farther end, while a crowd of soldiers were jammed on the 
planks, he fell asleep on his feet and almost tumbled into the 
stream below half a dozen times while on the bridge. Then he 
kept on, his senses benumbed, his brain exhausted, his tongue 
parched, having only enough sense left in his almost distraught 
condition to keep in the path that had been followed by the 
troops ahead, wondering at every step whether he had strength 
enough to take another, urging himself on for a while by thought 
of the dangers that might lurk in the rear if he should drop out 
and fall asleep, until even this refuge failed him. He forgot his 
command, his perils, his surroundings, everything, and with just 
enough wit remaining in his exhausted noddle to prompt him to 
take a few steps to one side of the road, where he would escape 
being run over or trodden upon if wagons or artillery should by 
any chance follow on behind, he dropped in the stupor of com- 
plete exhaustion to the earth, and knew nothing more until the 



morninLT. 



* General Humphreys, the division commander, a veteran, accustomed to weigh every 
word he used, and not given to exaggeration of a soldier's privations and hardships, said 
in his report, concerning this day's march, "The suffering from heat, dust, thirst, fatigue, 
and exhaustion was very great." 




/Z-«-^-v- 



MARYLAND, MY MARYLAND! 



267 



CHAPTER XVI. 



"MARYLAND, MY MARYLAND!" 




FTER a few hours of stupor 
J^ the boy began to stir out of 
the dust in which he had been 
lying since midnight. Slowly 
emerorinor from the region of 
exhaustion into which he had 
taken his venturesome jour- 
ney, and rubbing his eyes in 
order to clear from them, and 
from his face as well, the extra 
quantum of sacred soil which had 
accumulated there durinor the 
march, he looked about him. 
None of the army had yet be- 
gun to move ; the pressure had 
not been put on the troops yet 
for the day ; the machinery had not yet started. In a moment 
he was gladdened by the sight of the headquarters flag of the 
division not far away from where he had been lying in the dust. 
Without knowing it, he had caught up, in the darkness, to the 
head of the column, and had there dropped, faint, worn out, and 
exhausted, to the earth. Here and there a sentry was in sight, 
and scattered in all directions were thousands of men, stretched 
on the ground in all sorts of ungainly attitudes, without tents or 



268 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

baggage, the most of them having dropped down upon the earth 
without ceremony as soon as the dreadful march of the previous 
day, which happened to be the Sabbath, and which had proved 
to be anything but a day of rest, had come to an end. 

Sentries were keeping watch over the sleeping host here and 
there ; horses, roused by the flies which were commencing to 
nip them in the early dawn, were beginning to squirm and kick 
and switch their tails and squeal, while in the east the cloudless 
sky and the increasing light foretokened the approach of another 
sultry day. 

While Jack was trying to pull himself together after the 
dilapidation which he had suffered he heard a cheery voice close 
by, which proved to be that of one of his noncommissioned offi- 
cers, Sergeant McBride, who had stuck close to him throughout 
the trying duties of the long and arduous march. 

" The top of the mornin' to ye, liftenant. What do ye think 
of the Bull Run Motel where ye've been stoppin' for the night? 
Will ye plaze to order yer breakfast, and it shall be served in yer 
room. If ye don't like yer quarters here ye can go on a little 
further and make yerself at home at the Manassas Junction 
House, where the accommodations are aiqually deloightful. 
Shpake yer moind, liftenant." 

" Good-morning, sergeant. I'm glad to find your tongue 
still able to wag. It \vill be a sorry hour for this provost guard 
when anything happens to put a quietus on your powers of gab. 
Have )ou any news yet } Are we going to march any farther 
to-day ? How are you pleased with your surroundings ? Do 
you see anything very bright and hopeful in the situation } " 

Thus mucli Jack manageil to speak in spite of his parched 
tongue and his throat, whicli were as dry as punk. He wondered 
where a little drinking water might be found, while he waited 
for the next observation of the f'ff(!rvesc(;nt Irishman. 



"MARYLAND, MY MARYLAND!" 269 

" Sure, liftenant, I have in my moind, if I have any of it left to 
me this mornin', the words of a countryman of mine in the Em- 
erald Isle, where a wonderin' tourist made some slightin' remark 
about the pig bein' allowed the run of the cabin, an' at once he 
spoke out and said, ' Isn't there ivery accommodation here that 
a hog could wish ? ' Who am I that I should complain whin I 
am enjoyin' the convaniences and luxuries that Gineral McDowell 
and his brave officers and min had to themselves two years ago 
in the nixt month at the first battle of Bull Run, and whin I am 
stoppin' at the same place where Gineral Pope stopped at the 
second battle of Bull Run, a year ago the comin' August ? An', 
sure, here at our very feet is a relic of those pleasant days." 
And as he spoke he dug with his bayonet into the dusty soil 
and unearthed the whitened bones of a human hand. " Here," 
he proceeded, " is the first sign of welcome I've seen in this 
region. One of the former guests that stopped at this same hotel 
reaches out his hand and says, ' Yer welcome ! Make yerself at 
home. Shake ! ' " 

" Cover up those bones, sergeant. Between you and the 
owner of that skeleton hand I am all upset. Let us have some- 
thing to eat and drink, and not disturb any more of the former 
guests of this establishment." 

And forthwith they proceeded to imitate the example of the 
troops, who were by this time beginning to stir from their dusty 
beds and skirmish after something to eat. A rousing cheer 
was sent up as the commissary sergeant, with his assisting squad 
of men, was seen at this juncture coming into camp with some 
fresh beef that had just been killed. By the time this was cut 
up, distributed, broiled on sticks, and greedily devoured the 
wearied men had resumed their spirits and recruited their 
strength, and were ready for whatever the day might bring forth. 
The march was not severe or long that day — from Manassas 



270 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

Junction to Centerville, over the grounds swept and trodden 
down by the two armies at frequent intervals during the whole 
preceding part of the war. The outer fortifications of Washing- 
ton were now to be seen here and there, and it looked as though 
the Army of the Potomac might be hemmed in behind them 
by the movements of the Confederates. Another day brought 
them to Gum Springs, in Virginia, a part of the country that 
had not hitherto been scourged by troops from either side. In 
a pleasant orchard, with delightful shade and plenty of good 
water, the division encamped, enjoying for several days a refresh- 
ing rest. This part of the campaign was a picnic, literally, com- 
pared with that which preceded and followed. Milk and butter, 
chickens and eggs, fruit and vegetables, could be bought and 
secured in large quantities by foraging expeditions. 

" Major," said Jack, during this stay at Gum Springs, to the 
adjutant general of the division, Major Charles Hamlin, " why 
are we halting here 7 What is the outlook for the campaign 7 " 

" We are simply waiting here," was the reply, " for develop- 
ments and for orders. Lee was behind yonder mountain wall 
a few days ago," continued the major, pointing to the Blue Ridge, 
"watching for a chance to pounce down on Washington. Thus 
far we have foiled him. Hooker has put his army at full speed 
to place them between Lee and the capital. Now we shall see 
whether Lee will try to attack us here or what he will do. 
We may be here for a week, and we may get orders to march 
in an hour. All depends." 

"What are the probabilities, do you think.'*" proceeded the 
boy, curious to know whatever might be known about the 
movement in contemplation. 

" My opinion is," said the major, " that Lee is going to 
cross the Potomac. His cavalry arc over there in advance 
now. He needs food for his horses and men. He must have 



"MARYLAND, MY MARYLAND!" 271 

supplies, and he may secure them in Maryland and Pennsyl- 
vania. Then he expects to recruit his army in ' Maryland, my 
Maryland.' " 

" Surely, he will not get many recruits there. Do you sup- 
pose he will ? " 

" No," emphatically replied the officer, " he will not. There 
are a good many rebels in Maryland, but nearly all of those 
who are willing to fight for the Confederacy have already 
crossed the border and joined the Southern army. Lee will 
be disappointed in that regard ; and he will be disappointed, 
too, in another respect. He fancies that the peace party men, 
who have been opposing the draft, and shedding crocodile 
tears over a broken Constitution, and abusing the President, 
will join his invading army when he makes his appeal to them 
on Northern soil. He will find that they will not rally 
about him as fast as he now imagines. Lee's presence on the 
other side of the Potomac will arouse the North as it has not 
heretofore been stirred. Instead of dividing our ranks it will 
unite them. I have no patience, at any rate, with the croak- 
ers and copperheads at home who are keeping up a fire in 
our rear all the time, and it would be a good riddance if they 
were all conscripted by Lee into his army and carried off to 
the South. They will not volunteer, you may be sure of that ; 
and yet if they are ' loyal,' in any sense of that word, to any- 
thing, it is to the South ; but they have no stomach for fight- 
ing. Once in a while they will 'hurrah for Jeff Davis,' but 
they will not fight for him nor for his Confederacy." 

As the two conversed they heard in the direction of the 
mountains the booming of cannon. " Ah," said the major, 
" the cavalry are at work in the gaps of the mountain. Pleas- 
onton, with his cavalry corps, is out yonder at Aldie Gap, and 
when he and Jeb Stuart meet together there is sure to be 



272 



WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 



music. Our sabers will guard the passes that open up toward 
Washington, and Lee will not think of trying to come this 
way." 

Just then a newsboy came galloping by laden with the 
dailies from the city, the Washington CJu^onicle, the New York 
Tribune, and the Philadelphia Press, with other papers. He 
was eagerly beset and, as usual, sold out his stock in short 




A NEWSBOY CAME GALLOPING BY LADEN WITH THE DAILIES. 



meter at a dime a copy, without protest. The news from the 
city of New York was read aloud with eager interest, and its 
reading was interrupted with hearty cheers. The boys shouted 
over the tidings that the militia regiments of that State and of 
Pennsylvania were being concentrated with haste at Philadel- 
phia and other central points, en route to Harrisburg, where 
General Couch was to orcjanize them aj^ainst the invaders of the 
North. 



"MARYLAND, MY MARYLAND!" 273 

On June 25 the division turned its face and its toes north- 
ward again, marching all day, until late in the afternoon they 
saw before them the beautiful waters of the Potomac spread out 
through a delightful landscape, and beyond the river the green 
hills of Maryland. Shouts and cheers were given with a will 
as the sight was afforded. The river was spanned by pontoon 
bridges, over which the advancing troops, with song and shout 
and enthusiasm, were pouring into Maryland. It was almost 
night when Humphreys's division crossed the boat bridge and 
found itself assigned to the towpath, with orders to march fif- 
teen miles that night yet to Monocacy Junction. It had already 
been raining for an hour or two, and at nightfall the rain grew 
to a storm, which pelted relentlessly the marching column. It 
was a dismal, monotonous, wretched, and irksome experience 
which the boys had that night. Again Jack was in the rear, 
bringing up the stragglers, urging forward the weary, and try- 
ing to cheer up the sick and keep the troops closed up. It 
was a vain, a thankless, and an impossible task. No human 
being could have kept that division closed up or have prevented 
strap;QrlinQ^ that niorht. The storm was in their teeth, the tow- 
path was slippery and narrow, and now and then, in spite of 
care, a heavily laden soldier would topple over into the canal 
and scramble out or be fished out by his comrades, sputtering, 
cursing, drenched, and dripping. Above was the dense, murky, 
impenetrable darkness, through which came no hint of moon or 
star behind the clouds big with rain and storm. The four thou- 
sand men who made up the command were stretched out at irreg- 
ular and fitful intervals that night, reaching clean from the cross- 
ing at Edwards Ferry to the intended destination of the troops 
fifteen miles away. About two o'clock in the morning Jack 
dropped in the grass at a point where the towpath widened into 
a bit of a meadow, and here, with the rain pelting him and the 

18 



274 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

water trickling down his back, striving to keep the worst of the 
tempest off by a rubber blanket, he sank into the deep sleep of 
complete exhaustion. Waking at dawn, he found himself with a 
little squad of his provost guard in wretched plight, aching in 
every muscle, wringing wet, soaked to the skin with the drench- 
ing rain, and shivering with cold. 

What a change in the aspect of things was caused by a sin- 
gle cup of coffee ! Enough wood was splintered up to make a 
fire, and about it the bovs "fathered in details of three or four, 
as many as could find accommodation for their tin cups, filled 
with orood stronof coffee, which, when well boiled and drunk hot, 
black, and sweet, served as a tonic and an invigorator and a re- 
constructor of notable value. 

By and by the sun came cut, and the boys began to cheer at 
the sight of his rays, and still more so at the new and unwonted 
scenery which greeted their vision. For months they had 
been accustomed to see only the fenceless and defenseless 
region of battle-blasted Virginia, swept clean of almost all 
traces of animal or vegetable life, trodden under foot by two 
great contending armies — gardens utterly wiped out, fields ren- 
dered a barren waste, boundary lines all destroyed, farms com- 
pletely desolated and most of them abandoned, and the whole 
country from the Potomac to the Rapidan turned into an unin- 
habited waste. Out of this barren and war-stricken territory 
they came now into a garden of opulence and of bloom. The 
rolling hills of Maryland, with fair and fertile valleys intervening, 
abounding with teeming orchards, exuberant grain fields, green 
and glorious meadows, abundant gardens, and dotted with smil- 
ing towns and happy hamlets, appeared in all their beauty before 
the eyes of the soldiers of the Army of the Potomac like a vision 
in fairyland. 

The hearty greeting given to the soldiers in this march into 



"MARYLAND, MY MARYLAND!" 275 

and across Maryland gladdened the army. In Virginia the 
Army of the Potomac was considered a ruthless invader ; the 
few inhabitants that were left in the land looked on with 
scowling siillenness and ill-concealed bitterness as the boys in 
blue passed by their homes ; now, however, the atmosphere rang 
with cheers, the Stars and Stripes were everywhere floating on 
the breeze, men, women, and children vied with each other in 
their exhibitions of loyalty and zeal in view of the arrival of the 
tried army that was about to meet Lee and his men again on 
the field. 

One of the most affecting: and pathetic incidents of the cam- 
paign occurred soon after marching across into Maryland. Jack, 
with his company, was ordered that day to take the lead, and 
just behind them came one of the regimental bands, while ahead 
of them rode General Humphreys and his staff. As the division 
marched along they passed by a country schoolhouse in a little 
grove at a crossroad. The teacher, hearing the music of the 
band at a distance, and expecting the arrival of troops, had dis- 
missed the school to orlve them a sicrht of the soldiers. The 
boys and girls, before the troops came in sight, had gathered 
bunches of wild flowers and platted garlands of leaves and 
secured several tiny flags, and now, as General Humphreys rode 
up in front of the schoolhouse, a little girl came forth and 
presented him with a bouquet, which he acknowledged with 
gracious courtesy. Then the group of assembled pupils began 
to sing, as they waved their flags and garlands in the air. The 
song made a tumult in every soldier's heart that day in the 
whole command, and many strong men wept as they looked on 
the scene and thought of their own loved ones far away in their 
Northern homes, and were inspired with newborn courage and 
patriotism by the sight and the song. This is the song which 
rang forth that day from that country schoolhouse, and which 



276 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

soon afterward echoed and reechoed throughout the battle in 
many a soldier's ear and heart, miles away, on the bloody field of 
Gettysburg : 

"Yes, we'll rally round the flag, boys, we'll rally once again, 

Shouting the battle cry of Freedom ; 
We'll rally from the hillside, we'll gather from the plain. 

Shouting the battle cry of Freedom ! 

" We are springing to the call of our brothers gone before. 

Shouting the battle cry of Freedom ; 
And we'll fill the vacant ranks with a million freemen more. 

Shouting the battle cry of Freedom ! 

" We are marching to the field, boys, we're going to the fight, 
• Shouting the battle cry of Freedom ; 

Antl we bear the glorious stars for the Union and the right. 
Shouting the battle cry of Freedom ! 

"The Union forever, hurrah, boys, hurrah ! 

Down with the traitors, up with the stars, 
WHiile we rally round the flag, boys, rally once again, 

Shouting the battle cry of Freedom." 

As Jack passed with his company he turned to his men and 
shouted, " Boys, give them three cheers and a ' tiger ! ' " The 
command was obeyed with a will, and the example was imitated 
by the regiments that followed ; so that amid the singing of the 
children and the cheers of the soldiers and the beating of the 
drums the occasion was made memorable to all concerned. 

On Sunday, the 28th of June, the command marched through 
Frederick, made historic by many interesting facts in the story 
of Maryland, but embalmed in verse by the incident of Barbara 
Frietchie, which is said to have occurred in the previous 
autumn, one day during the Antietam campaign. Jack thought 
of the old lady and her devotion to the flag as he trod the same 
streets with his provost guard that Sunday, but he thought of 



"MARYLAND, MY MARYLAND!" 277 

Other things besides. His shoes had given out, and no horse 
had as yet been available for his use during the campaign, and 
he must be shod. He found a shoestore open and bought a 
new pair of shoes, and marched thirty miles in them before the 
sun had set next day — a process in the operation of which he 
found himself as well as the new shoes pretty thoroughly " broken 
in " by the time that day had expired. 

Next day the army was stirred with a bit of important news. 
It was announced that General Hooker had resigned his com- 
mand because of some conflict with General Halleck, at the 
head of military affairs at Washington, and that Major General 
George G. Meade had been promoted from the command of the 
Fifth Army Corps to be the leader and commander-in-chief of 
the Army of the Potomac. What a buzz that made throughout 
the ranks of eighty thousand men when the news was known ! 
How the boys chatted and wrangled in a good-natured fashion, 
and wondered what the upshot of it all would be, and continued 
on their northward march, confident of victory on Northern soil 
if they were only handled with passable ability and given a fair 
chance to get at the invading army ! 

As the boys marched they talked over the case, headed north- 
ward and approaching the Pennsylvania line. 

" Well, I am sorry to see Fighting Joe Hooker leave us now. 
We will meet the rebels and have a big battle in a day or two, 
and he would better have stuck to us a while longer. I always 
felt my backbone stiffened and the rousements go all over me 
like a nervous chill when he rode up on that big white horse 
of his, his eye flashing and his face all aglow, and his example 
worth a whole division to any army. I wish Joe Hooker had 
stayed with us ! " This was the ejaculation of one of Jack's 
chums as they marched along. 

Another messmate replied : " I hardly think it makes much 



278 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

matter to us who is at the head if he is able and true. We have 
surely learned by this time that McClellan, for example, is not 
the only military man in the world. I do not sympathize with 
the cry that used to be heard more or less clamorously in our 
ranks, ' Give us back our old commander ! ' He had his chance, 
again and again, and lost it. I like, rather, to recall a little poem 
printed in the Tribime a year ago as the cry of the nation and 
of the army. Listen, boys, and see if this is not your sentiment 
as well as the poet's : 

" ' Give us <i man of God's own mold, 

Born to marshal his fellow-men ; 
One whose fame is not bought and sold 
• At the stroke of a politician's pen. 

Give us the man of thousands ten, 

Fit to do as well as to plan ; 
Give us a rallying cry, and then, 

Abraham Lincoln, give us a man ! 

" ' Is there never, in all the land, 

One on whose might the cause might lean ? 
Are all the common men so grand. 

And all the titled ones so mean ? 
What if your failure may have been 

In trying to make good bread of bran, 
Of worthless metal a weapon keen ? 

Abraham Lincoln, yf^/ff us a man! 

" ' O, we will follow him to the death, 

Where the foemen's fiercest columns are. 
O, we will use our latest breath 

Cheering for every sacred star. 
His to marshal us nigh and far; 

Ours to battle, as patriots can, 
When a hero leads the holy war. 

Abraham Lincoln, give us a man ! ' 

"There, boys, that has the right ring to it. Maybe Father 
Abe has found us a man in General Meade. He looks like a 



"MARYLAND, MY MARYLAND!" 279 

professor rather than a dashing leader ; but he is genuine metal, 
clean through, without any veneering. He has no spread eagle 
about him, and not much of what you call ' style.' " 

And while the words were on his lips, lo, and behold, along 
rode the new commander, with twenty or thirty finely mounted 
officers attending him. He was tall and spare, he wore glasses, his 
shoulders were a little bent, and his face betokened a good deal 
of anxiety and care, as well it might in view of the responsibilities 
that had been suddenly thrust upon him. The boys cheered, of 
course, but not with much enthusiasm. It was clear that they 
accepted the new commander on trust ; no one knew whether he 
could command an army or not. But the army was so well dis- 
ciplined, so thoroughly loyal, so anxious to win the day on 
Northern soil, that in spirit they said : " Whether it is Meade or 
Hooker, Burnside or McClellan, we are the same tried and true 
soldiers. We will do our part whoever may be at our head. 
But we do ask to be led with courage and skill against the foe. 
We pledge our lives that we will in any case show ourselves 
worthy of our cause, and will quit ourselves like men." 

On the march, after leaving Frederick, and just after the change 
of commanders had occurred, a staff officer from corps head- 
quarters came riding by one day and said to General Hum- 
phreys, " General Meade captured a prize yesterday at Frederick." 

" What was it } " was the instant reply of the general. 

" A man in citizen's clothes was arrested at the picket line 
trying to pass out with some frivolous excuse of having to go to 
a neighbor's on an errand. It happened that he could not be 
identified by any of the neighbors, and on searching him dis- 
patches were found on his person from Jeff Davis to General 
Lee. It seems that Lee had planned to have Beauregard follow 
after him and threaten Washington by the overland and direct 
route from Richmond, while he himself should occupy the atten- 



280 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

tion of our forces in the North. Now, it appears that the South 
is entirely stripped of troops, and Beauregard can make no 
movement at all, and Davis, moreover, is apprehensive that Rich- 
mond, by the James River route, may be attacked while Lee is 
away." 

General Humphreys was silent for a moment, and then, refer- 
ring to a map of the border counties of Pennsylvania and Mary- 
land, and noting the various roads and points of connection as 
located thereon, he said: "It is a problem, as yet unsolved, 
what General Lee intends to do. He is over yonder in the 
Cumberland valley, advancing upon Harrisburg, and attacking 
also the region about York. Maybe he will turn back and meet 
us in battle when he finds we are threatening his flank and rear 
in our advance toward Pennsylvania. He must keep his com- 
munications open with the South by way of the Cumber- 
land and Shenandoah valleys, and our position now endangers 
that line of possible retreat which he must maintain. We are 
now groping in the dark to unmask the movements of the rebels, 
and in a day or two at farthest we will probably meet them some- 
where along the border of these two States. General Reynolds 
is in command of three corps to lead the advance and recon- 
noiter with tliis end in view. Where the first blow will be struck 
no one can tell just now, but the time must be close at hand." 

Just then the advance, which was led that day by the division 
whose fortunes we are following, met a citizen with whom Gen- 
eral Humphreys had some conversation : 

" Have you had any visit from the Confederates at all in 
this vicinity within the last week }" 

"None of their troops," was the reply, "have come through 
our territory. The people, however, have been in alarm for 
days, and many of them have driven their cattle and horses 
away to the mountains for safe-keeping. The Cumberland val- 



"MARYLAND, MY MARYLAND!" 



281 



ley, over the mountains yonder, has been overrun by the invad- 
ers, and great damage has been done. Farther north a day or 
two ago a rebel column of infantry, under Ewell, marched across 
the country through a little town called Gettysburg to York, 
and they have been spreading havoc and confusion among the 
farmers there. They wanted a thousand barrels of sauerkraut 
from the Dutchmen there, and were very wroth because the 
Germans said they had none this time of year, supposing that 
the rebels were ridiculing their favorite dish, when in fact the 
Confederates wanted the kraut as a relish and an antiscorbutic, 
to keep off scurvy." 

On the march that day, June 30, General Humphreys said 
to his staff: "General Meade sends us to " Emmitsburg to in- 
vestigate the lay of the ground there. We are liable at any 
moment to run into the advance of Lee's army, and any hour 
may bring on a great battle. General Meade wants to know the 
character of the country round about and be ready to meet Lee 
wherever and whenever that general may turn up." 

That night they camped near Emmitsburg, Md., and the 
next morning the great battle of Gettysburg began, twelve miles 
away to the north. How the division of Humphreys got there, 
and how they fared in the battle, another chapter will reveal. 




282 



WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

SMELLING THE BATTLE AFAR OFF. 




<§^m^^ 



N the 30th of June Jack's regiment, 

"-^ the Eighty-fourth Pennsylvania, was 

assigned to duty with the wagon trains, 

to act as their guard and convoy, 

miles away in the rear. Lieutenant 

Colonel Opp, now in com- 



---.' ■ V S'rT^fA ^ '^-•^i> mand of the resfiment, urg-ed 



^0$^^^^^^ General Carr, the brigade 

"^^^^^■^^'^^k'^'^^^'^^/J- commander, to change the 
- ^^/t V V. i *-^«SH8ac.-^>.^-'>^,<ys/^ order and send some other 

regiment on that tour of serv- 



•^'- -^ '^^^'^L^-^^^iiji ^'--1^ ^^^- " ^ battle is impending, 




j^ 



P^'^^^ 



general, and we prefer the 
front, and not the rear. Let 
us eo with the brigade, and 
send another regiment to 
the rear with the trains," 
This was the plea of the courageous colonel in behalf of his 
officers and men. 

General Carr said in reply: "No, colonel, lliis order must 
stand. The I'^ighty-fourth must go with the trains. You may 
find it no easy task to guard them, however, as Jeb Stuart is in 
our rear, trying to make his way clear round us and join the 
rest of Lee's forces. He may attack you before night." 



SMELLING THE BATTLE AFAR OFF. 283 

Nothing was to be done but submit, and reflecting on Milton's 
words, " They also serve who only stand and wait," Colonel Opp, 
with a heavy heart, led his regiment out of the line at Taney- 
town, and at their head directed them to Westminster, where 
they were during the battle. So it happened that Jack, detached 
from the regiment, shared in the engagement because he was on 
duty at division headquarters, while the regiment, just as brave 
and thorough soldiers as any in the army, were convoying the 
trains thirty miles away, doing their duty at that end of the 
great line of battle. 

That night, June 30, everyone in the scattered army corps of 
the bivouacking hosts, from the commander-in-chief down to the 
anxious teamsters with the wagon train, felt the pressure of sus- 
pense, perplexity, and uncertainty, and they asked with anxious 
hearts, " What will the morrow bring forth.?" 

Early on the morning of Wednesday, July i, Humphreys's 
division of the Third Corps marched from Bridgeport to Em- 
mitsburg, a few miles distant, in a northwest direction, where 
they were ordered to throw up earthworks and make a line of 
intrenchments that would serve for protection in case of an 
attack. It was still uncertain where Lee might be, and in the 
march feelers were thrown out in all directions to avoid surprise. 
The regiments were deployed in their various positions, which 
had been chosen with care in view of the possibility that an 
engagement might occur at the very point where they were 
digging and intrenching themselves, when suddenly there was 
heard to the northward an answer to the question which had 
been asked for a week or more by everybody in the Army of the 
Potomac. From the commander down to the high private in 
the rear rank all had been uttering the conundrums, " Where is 
the rebel army ? What is Lee going to do } What is he aim- 
inor at } " 



284 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

A decisive answer to this series of perplexing questions was 
now heard booming through the air from the hills to the north 
in the shape of artillery firing, each cannon shot saying: " Here 
is the Army of Northern Virginia. We are arrayed for battle. 
You have been looking for us ; now we report our whereabouts. 
We are at Gettysburg, equipped for fight. Come and meet us, 
if you dare ! " 

Every man in the command heard the sounds of the opening 
battle with quickened pulse and with bated breath. He knew it 
meant a summons for him shortly to hurry to the field, and he 
felt, furthermore, that the struggle would be one of the fiercest 
ever fought in the annals of war. If ever the Army of the 
Potomac was put on its mettle, and felt that it had to do its 
utmost in behalf of the fiag and land it loved, it was in view of 
this conflict now just commencing at Gettysburg. 

General Humphreys, listening to the cannonade, which soon 
became hot and quick and was reinforced by the sounds of 
musketry, said at once : " That means an engagement. General 
Reynolds has with him the First and the Eleventh Corps and 
is out on a scout, but he has clearly run into the advance of 
Lee's army, and the decisive battle may be on at this hour. We 
must be ready to march at an instant's warning. And yet we 
must keep up our preparations here, so that if we are taken in 
flank, or if we have to retreat from Gettysburg, where that firing 
is, I suppose, we may not suffer from an attack on the road." 

The morning waned away, and the division still stayed at 
Emmitsburg, busy with the spade, alert with its pickets, watch- 
ing the roads entering town from the west, and waiting for orders 
and for news. 

Everybody wondered : " What is the issue of the fight ? 
Who is winning the day ? Is this a skirmish between a couple 
of divisions, or is it a regular battle, and will it prove to be the 



SMELLING THE BATTLE AFAR OFF. 285 

prelude to the great engagement which has been inevitable since 
Lee crossed the Potomac ? " About noon a few frightened refu- 
gees arrived from near the town of Gettysburg with all sorts of 
frightful tales to relate. " An awful battle is going on up yon- 
der. General Lee has his army all there and is driving our men. 
We were glad enough to get away." This was the dismal tale 
that was told with many embellishments and additions by the 
alarmed people who had fled from the scene. So the morning 
passed, the battle in the distance growing hotter and fiercer as 
fresh troops were apparently led into the fight on either side. 
General Sickles, the corps commander, restive and eager in spirit 
as he listened to the cannonade, and his men, like hounds held in 
by the leash with the prey in open sight, were chafing and impa- 
tient for permission to march to the field ; yet his orders were 
peremptory to hold and fortify Emmitsburg, lest it might be 
seized by the advancing Confederates and occupied by them to 
threaten our line of communications. 

About three o'clock an officer was seen urging his horse at 
full speed toward the troops, coming from the direction of the 
firing. He halted at General Sickles's headquarters and deliv- 
ered his message : 

" General Howard sent me to you, General Sickles, with the 
suggestion that you come at once to Gettysburg. A hot battle 
has been raging there since nine this morning. At ten o'clock 
General Reynolds was shot dead by a rebel sharpshooter. 
Howard got there in time to take charge of the field, but he is 
hard pressed. Only two corps, the Eleventh and the First, are 
on the field. Our men were holding their ground when I left, 
but fresh troops were arriving on the rebel side, and reinforce- 
ments are needed at once. Your men will have to march about 
ten or eleven miles to get there. General Howard simply makes 
a suggestion ; he hardly feels justified in giving you an order to 



286 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

come, but he has sent the same message to Slocum, down at 
Two Taverns, east of Gettysburg, and he hopes he will respond." 

General Sickles, always eager for a fight, needed but a sug- 
gestion in order to prompt him to march. Birney was not far 
away, at the head of the First Division, and he was ordered to 
lead off. Two brigades were left behind to guard the position 
for the time, and an officer was dispatched to General Meade, 
whose headquarters were at Taneytown, ten miles eastward, with 
news of the movement and the reason for it ; and off the Third 
Corps started on the march for the fight. Sickles galloping 
eagerly ahead with his staff in order to survey the field and be 
able to locate his troops intelligently when they should arrive. 

General Humphreys's division was ordered to take a round- 
about course by a road two miles distant from the main route, 
lying to the west of it, and somewhat rough and untraveled. 
Soon after leaving Emmitsburg the general began to receive 
news of disaster and trouble that had overtaken our troops in 
Gettysburg. Fugitives now and then appeared with stirring 
stories of defeat, which soon became too one-sided to make it 
possible for them not to have some solid basis of fact. " Reynolds 
is killed ; our men are whipped ; the rebels are there in over- 
whelming force ; the day is lost ! " This was the occasional 
rumor that beset the advancing division. 

Lieutenant Colonel Hayden, inspector general of Sickles's 
staff, had been sent back by General Sickles to guide the divi- 
sion to its place in the line at Gettysburg. He was confident 
that he had been ordered to bring them in to Gettysburg from 
the west, by way of the Pdack Horse Tavern, on the P'airfield 
road, three miles west of Gettysburg, hut as General Huinphrc)s 
and his men marched swiftly along they were continual])- warned 
to look out for danger in that direction. 

At one point in the march a citizen of the \iL-inity said in 



SMELLING THE BATTLE AFAR OFF. 287 

alarm : " You are getting into dangerous quarters. The rebel 
army is advancing from that direction. That part of the coun- 
try is overrun with Confederates ! The woods are full of 'em } 
Look out ! " 

General Humphreys knew he must be approaching the 
enemy's lines, and sent word to the buglers to utter no sound, 
and directed that as little noise as possible be made by the men 
in marching. In accordance with these orders canteens were 
strapped up close, the artillery went with caution, the horsemen 
rode with care, and everyone marched as though stepping on 
eggs. Further on in the way toward Gettysburg about night- 
fall a staff officer of Howard met the column and expressed sur- 
prise that they were being led through the byroad and in a 
direction that would bring them to a point west of Gettysburg. 
" None of our troops, General Humphreys, are anywhere in that 
vicinity. That region is full of Confederates. You are liable at 
any moment to receive an attack on your left flank if you keep 
on much further. Our men have been driven pellmell through 
the town. Gettysburg itself is held by the rebels, and our forces 
have fallen back a full mile and a half from the point where the 
battle beran this morning^. You are eoingr into a dangerous 
region. We are all stationed on Cemetery Hill, to the south of 
the town. There the rebels may attack us at any time, but you 
are going right into their jaws if you keep on in that direction." 

Colonel Hayden replied to this warning: " My orders from 
General Sickles were to bring this division by way of the Black 
Horse Tavern, on the Fairfield road, and until those orders are 
countermanded we shall keep right on, rebels or no rebels." 

The night, meanwhile, closed in, and the sound of the battle, 
which had come to an end about four o'clock, had been succeeded 
by an occasional scattering fire, seemingly from the skirmishers. 
The troops hurried their steps in order to reach their bivouac, 



288 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

wherever it might be, and get some rest before the work of 
the morrow. After marching over rough roads, traversing 
gloomy woods, and wading through a creek or two, the men were 
suddenly halted. They rested for a moment, glad to get a 
breathing spell, and then a quiver of excitement passed through 
the ranks, and the " goose flesh" was made to run up and down 
everybody's spinal column in spasmodic and frequent currents 
by the news that was passed from man to man in a hushed and 
anxious voice : " About, face, boys ! we have to countermarch ! 
We have run into the rebels! Get out of this as quickly and as 
quietly as you can. Make no noise. We are in the rear of the 
Confederate army." 

The general and his staff had reached the tavern while the 
troops were halted a short distance away ; when they arrived in 
sight of it, and had ridden up to its long, inviting, old-fashioned 
porch to alight, Colonel Hayden said to General Humphreys, 
" Here is a roof to sleep under to-night, and to-morrow morn- 
ing we will march into Gettysburg." 

It happened that a wounded Union soldier on parole from 
another part of the army was at his home in the neighborhood. 
He was on the watch for our men lest they might be drawn into 
an ambush. Safe himself from any assault or ill-treatment on 
the part of the Confederates, he was anxious lest our men might 
be caught in a trap, and on catching sight of the advancing 
column of Humphreys, led by their general, he came out from 
his hiding-place and spoke with amazement to one of the staff. 
In a hushed tone of voice, and trying to hide his anxiety, he 
said in a surprised and quizzical air, " Colonel, don't you know 
you're inside the rebel lines? " 

Colonel Hayden, with indignation and amazement, thought 
at first that a trick was being played upon him, and he retorted 
in his rough way, " Do you not know that you can be shot for 



'ilvM'liii;' 




SMELLING THE BATTLE AFAR OFF. 291 

lying?" The man was silent for a moment, and then, seeing 
that he was misunderstood, and knowing that this was no time for 
any long harangue or elaborate explanation, he replied, " Well, 
colonel, if you cannot smell the brimstone here look yonder and 
you can see it a-burning ! " 

The officer and those who were with him took a hasty glance 
across the creek, and, to their unutterable astonishment, they 
saw on the slopes of the hill the smoldering camp-fires of the 
rebels. Not a quarter of a mile away, across the creek and out 
the road, westward, was a party of Confederate pickets ; and 
within five minutes after General Humphreys had been warned 
of the situation and made his preparations accordingly twenty 
or thirty of Longstreet's men arrived at the tavern and stopped 
there for the night. 

General Humphreys, with utmost self-possession, without 
any indication of anxiety or. disturbance, sent his staff quietly 
back to the troops where they stood at ease along the road ex- 
pecting orders to go into camp for the night, with the command : 
" Send word along the line to countermarch. Tell the regi- 
mental commanders to keep their force in hand ready for a night 
attack, if any should occur. Let no noise be made in the retreat. 
About face at once, and march back to the Emmitsburg road, 
and thence we will be guided to our place in the line of battle." 
Need I say that these orders were gladly obeyed } That division 
was in the rear of the rebel line of battle at midnight, and four 
or five miles away from any other Union troops. They felt 
lonesome, and they allowed no grass to grow under their feet as 
they made swift and silent steps back to the road they were now 
directed to take. As rapidly as was consistent with the dignity 
of the Army of the Potomac and the reputation of the Third 
Army Corps they made their way out of that hornets' nest. 
Why, even the very horses seemed to catch the spirit of the 



292 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

occasion, and they went along as though their feet had been 
wrapped in cotton. Nobody even breathed hard, and Hke an 
arm\- of ohosts that division orlided throuorh the forest and across 
the fields and through the creeks, intent now only on getting 
back inside the Union line of battle ! And when at last, about 
one in the morning, streaming with perspiration, nervously ex- 
hausted from the strain they had been under, the men arrived 
upon the hillside whereon they were to throw themselves for the 
remainder of the night, no words can describe the feeling of relief 
with which one said to another, " Boys, say, I never want to stop 
at the Black Horse Tavern again ! Too many ' secesh ' in that 
neighborhood ! I prefer to keep inside the Union lines !" 

Over the hills of southern Pennsylvania, on which portions 
of a great army had bivouacked, the day broke on the morning 
of July 2 clear and beautiful, with abundant promise of heat 
after the sun had had a fair chance to climb up the sky. Jack, 
with his company, had been sleeping only three or four hours 
when they were aroused by orders to take position in the line of 
battle. After a hasty breakfast the boys had opportunity to 
look about them and in the course of the morning to study the 
situation. The division found itself posted, with the other troops 
of the Third Corps, on a ridge running north and south, with a 
peaceful intervale between them and a peach orchard nearly a 
mile away in their front, to the west, while beyond the orchard, 
which was on another ridge along which ran a public highway, 
were glimpses of forests, and still beyond, ten miles off, lay the 
blue and beautiful South Mountain range. Everybody expected 
that a battle would open at daybreak, but dawn and sunrise 
came, and indeed the whok; morning passed away, without any 
attack on either side. Now and then a shot would be heard in 
the woods out beyond the peach orchard, but with that exception 
no fighting occurred until the day was three quarters gone. The 



SMELLING THE BATTLE AFAR OFF. 293 

most of July 2 was occupied with silence — the stillness, not of 
inactivity, helplessness, or repose, but the awful silence of recon- 
noitering and preparing for battle, the hush that goes before the 
storm. 

While the troops lay in line early in the morning, ready to 
spring to their feet at a moment's warning when the signal 
might be given. Jack saw a friend riding along the Taneytown 
road — Captain Halstead, of General Doubleday's staff. Greeting 
his old friend, the boy asked for an insight into the " military 
situation." " We had a dreadful day of it," said the captain, sum- 
ming up the experiences of the first day's battle. " The two 
corps that were engaged — the First and the Eleventh — were cut 
to pieces. We were in the battle from about nine o'clock till 
four in the afternoon — for the first three or four hours yonder 
along that ridge to the northwest of the town, which lies to our 
north two miles away ; there Reynolds fell early in the fight, 
one of the ablest and most gallant officers in the Union army. 
If he had lived he would have been at the very top before 
long. About noon we had to look out for our flank and rear, 
which were threatened by Confederates who came in from the 
north and east, from Carlisle and York, so that we were liable 
to be cauorht between two fires. After struesfline there to the 
north of the town for a while we were beaten at every point by 
an overwhelming force, and had to retreat to Cemetery Hill. The 
Confederates followed us through the town, which they occupied, 
capturing many prisoners, including many of our wounded who 
were left on the field. That, in brief, is the story of yesterday." 

" Are our troops all here .-^ " was the anxious question of the 
boy. 

"Here come the Second Corps," said the major, " while we 
speak of them, up the Taneytown road, ready for battle. Han- 
cock came yesterday afternoon and helped in the final arrange- 



294 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

ments for the battle that Is to be fought here. His corps in 
part arrived last night, and this is the rest of it." And, while the 
two conversed, the eager, gallant men of the Second Corps, with 
their trefoil badge, with music and with banners, marched gayly 
by, ready for battle. 

" The Twelfth Corps, under Slocum, came last night, and we 
are all anxiously looking for General Sedgwick and his glorious 
old Sixth Corps, who are on the march. If we are attacked be- 
fore they arrive it may be a bad thing for us. They can hardly 
get here till noon, but they will do their best to reach us as early 
as possible, I'll warrant you." 

" Where is our line of battle.'^" pursued the boy, anxious to 
locate himself in view of the topography of the region. 

" This hill off to our left," said Major Halstead, pointing 
southward, " is Round Top, and as I understand it that is to be 
the extreme left. Our line of battle runs from that point north- 
ward to the other hill you see this side of Gettysburg, called 
Cemetery Hill, and thence off to the east, terminating at Gulp's 
Hill, two miles or more from us off in that northeast direction. 
It is a splendid line of battle. The Army of the Potomac could 
not ask for a better position to defend." 

" Do you think Lee will attack us?" said Jack. 

"He cannot help it; he durst not waste any time; he 
cannot back out now ; he had a lucky day yesterday, and his 
men are in high feather over their victory. They think they 
can do anything after their triumph. Certainly he will attack 
us sometime to-da)'. I wonder why he has not begun the battle 
before this ; but perhaps he has not all his troops in hand either. 
He may be w'aiting for his concentrating columns to reinforce 
those already here before making his attack. But be very sure 
he is going to attack us, and we will have a dreadful battle. 
This is the turning point. If Lee whips us here the Union \h 



SMELLING THE BATTLE AFAR OFF. 



296 



lost. If we win, Lee's army ought to be demolished before it 
reaches Virginia again." 

The picture presented to the eye of Jack as the major ut- 
tered his closing sentence and rode away the boy can never 
forget. The morning was passing, noon was approaching ; and 
still the troops waited 

on the ground seem- . . ^../'"^v'""" 

ingly idle, but really 
alert, watchful, intent. 
Suddenly a woman and 
a couple of children ap- 
peared on the scene, 
frightened, pallid, cross- 
ing- the fields between 
the lines and making 
their way through the 
Union troops. She _ 
asked for one of the 
Pennsylvania reserve 
regiments, and was 
directed toward it not 
faraway. Jack watched 
the scene, and saw a 
touchinof orreetinor ex- 
chanofed between one 

of the soldiers and the group of visitors, who proved to be the 
veteran's wife and children, whom he had not seen for a year, 
and who had come from a farm near by, on the battlefield itself. 
They were escaping from the scene of conflict, had a lunch for 
the soldier, and with tears and sobs, which stirred the hearts of 
all the comrades, passed over the hill and out of sight down the 
Taneytown road. 




t-^ ^- 



SHE ASKED FOR ONE OF THE PENNSYLVANIA RESERVE 
REGIMENTS. 



296 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

Soon the division surgeon, Doctor Calhoun, rode up, arrayed 
with his green sash, to indicate the location of the hospital, 
" The wounded are to be brought over yonder to the tent erected 
near Rock Creek, in the valley beyond this hill, across the 
Taneytown road." And, having given his orders, and located 
his ambulance corps, away he went to see that his knives and 
saws were in order, and that the supply of chloroform and ether 
and liquor were ample for any possible demands that might arise 
during the battle. 

Turning again toward the rear, Jack saw scores of cannon, 
battery after battery, parked on the hill a mile away to the east, 
with the ammunition train, packed full of various explosives 
ready for use, close beside. That was the park of the reserve 
artillery under General Hunt. Meanwhile, up and down the 
Taneytown road, aids were rapidly riding with messages from 
the different officers in command, and in the distance clouds of 
dust arose, indicating that troops were still marching to their 
place in the line. By nine o'clock nearly all the army was pres- 
ent for action except the Sixth Corps, which was hurrying with 
desperate speed to the field. 

Jack, as the day wore away and the excitement of the first 
hours of preparation subsided, began to experience a distress- 
ing measure of reaction and nervous exhaustion. He lay on 
the grass in a very sober mood, now running his eye along the 
gathering lines of men, now peering anxiously across the land- 
scape to the westward, noting the woods behind which the Con- 
federates were concentrating their forces, and wondering why 
ihc battle did not open. It was fortunate, indeed, for the Union 
army that an early attack was not made. If Stonewall Jackson 
had been alive, and had opened his guns on the left of the Union 
army in the vicinity of Round Top at sunrise, as he would have 
been likely to do, he would have found our lines half formed and 



SMELLING THE BATTLE AFAR OFF. 297 

our army not all present and the soldiers exhausted with their 
fatiguing night marches. Instead of any such attack, however, 
the day wore away until nearly four in the afternoon before any 
real fiorhtinof occurred. 

That last hour of waiting, how dreadful it was ! Every man 
knew that a death struggle between two great armies was immi- 
nent ; the next hour would summon all of them to face the storm 
of battle, and would doom thousands of them to wounds, maim- 
ing, death, or imprisonment. Quiet reigned all along that bris- 
tling line of battle, where the boys lay waiting for the orders to 
move forward or for the appearance of the attacking forces out 
beyond the peach orchard. 

Jack, during this period of repose, had some very serious 
thoughts. Above all other meditations — thoughts of home, of 
loved ones far away, of the course of the battle — sounded in his 
soul the question, " What about the future 7 Suppose you are 
killed, what will become of you 7 In a few moments the tempest 
will break over this field and you will have to face it. You can- 
not now escape in any way from this emergency. In the face of 
the opening battle how about the future } Are you ready to 
meet God and to face the issues of another world } " 

The boy sat on the grass troubled and aghast at the outlook. 
He had been trained in a religious home, had been tausfht to be 
a Christian from childhood, but amid the roughness, the expo- 
sures, the grossness, and the dissipation of army life for nearly 
two years many of these lessons and early impressions had grown 
dim, many of these admonitory voices which he had been taught 
to heed at home had ceased to influence him. Now, in a des- 
perate emergency, with the possibilities of death before him, his 
sins rose up in alarming array, and his neglected soul was 
smitten with a sense of its needy and suppliant condition. " O 
Lord, have mercy on me ! " was the single cry of his broken 



298 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

heart as he sought to keep back the tears, maintain his com- 
posure, and hide the tumult which chsturbcd his breast. Then 
he bethought himself of the Bible he carried, his mother's 
parting gift, the book that he had neglected and slighted of late. 
Turning to it and catching at it as a drowning man at a straw, 
he opened it at random. The leaves parted at the 121st Psalm, 
and the boy's eyes fell, as he glanced at the page, on these 
words : " The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil : he shall 
preserve thy soul." 

The utterance seemed like a direct revelation from the skies. 
The boy felt as though there w^as some One who had taken 
knowledge of his destitute estate, his fears, his remorse, his 
sorrow, his anxiety, his cry for help. The words got hold of 
him, and he got hold of the words with a grip that has never 
ceased from that day to this. The vows made in that hour of 
danger and trouble were never forgotten, and while brooding on 
the passage so strangely applicable to his time of peril and want 
the boy's heart was lightened and at least a part of the burden 
was rolled away. He had scarcely put up the book and buckled 
on his sword in anticipation of orders to move, indicated by 
activity on the part of some of the troops near by, when an aid 
from General Sickles rode up at full speed and said to General 
Humphreys, " Berdan's sharpshooters are out yonder beyond 
the peach orchard and in the woods to our left. They send in 
word that Longstreet is massing a heavy force in that direction 
and is planning an attack against Round Top. General Sickles is 
going to move his corps out to the peach orchard. He directs 
your division to march out and forni line along the Emmits- 
burg road at once." 

Immediately the drums and bugle sounded the " assembly;" 
the orders were repeated all along the command," Fall in, men!" 
The line was formed, and ten thousand men with turbulent 



SMELLING THE BATTLE AFAR OFF. 



299 



hearts and knit brows and flashing eye, knowing that the hour 
had come on whose issues the destiny of the repubhc depended, 
heard the word " Forward," and marched forth to meet the ad- 
vancing enemy. They had scarcely taken their advanced posi- 
tion before the battle of the second day opened with overwhelm- 
ing violence. Inside of two hours half that gallant host, and as 
many of the foe, lay in blood and dust and death on the crim- 
soned soil of Pennsylvania. The struggle in the neighborhood 
of Round Top, where this portion of the battle of Gettysburg 
was fought, will require another chapter for its recital. 




300 



WHAT A BOV SAW IN THE ARMY. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 



THE STRUGGLE FOR ROUND TOP. 



,f'^''^^ 




T was a brilliant siij^ht — • 
the march of the Third 
Army Corps, under Sick- 
les, from its place in the 
line of battle near Little 
Round Top, half a mile 
toward the west and the 
southwest, to occupy a 
new position on the ridge 
in their front. Battleflags 
waved above the heads of 
the gallant soldiers ; the 
bright crleam of their mus- 
kets flashed along their ex- 
tended line; aids were to 
be seen galloping in every 
direction to execute the 
orders for the advance ; 
bugles sounded out their stirring blasts, indicating the will of the 
corps commander. Major General Sickles, who, with his gayly 
decorated staff, some of them in showy Zouave costume, superin- 
tended the movement. \\' hilc no engagement had yet taken place, 
yet the rapid " crack," " crack," of muskets beyond the hills, all 
along the skirmish line, afforded signs of fast-approaching battle. 



THE STRUGGLE FOR ROUND TOP. 801 

The division of Humphreys formed in line along the Em- 
mitsburg road, beyond which, in the woods, across the fields, 
could be seen now and then glimpses of men in gray and brown 
uniforms, the marshaling hosts of the Confederates, massing 
for their attack upon the Union left flank. " It's plain to be 
seen that Gineral Sickles," was the remark of Sergeant Mc- 
Bride, as the boys marched out to the front to take their place 
on the advance line of battle, " does not belave in siege work. 
He is spilin' for a fight; he has the chip on his shoulder now; 
you can see it in his ivery motion as he rides along the ranks. 
He is intimatin' to Gineral Longstreet over yonder in the woods, 
wid ivery wink of his eye, and every motion of his head, ' Knock 
off this chip if you dare.' An' from the wicked way in which 
the skirmishers out there are exchangin' shots, and the hurryin' 
that's goin' on in the woods, I am of the opinion that the rebel 
gineral will not be slow in acceptin' the challenge." 

Jack marched along by the sergeant's side, keeping his men 
aligned and noting the whole movement, wondering and anxious 
what the result of this advance would be. In a moment he re- 
plied to the Irishman : " We shall have no ' ditching ' here, that 
is clear, unless some of us get into ' the last ditch,' which is very 
probable from present appearances. If we have to fight let us 
have it out, and be done with it ; that seems to be Sickles's 
motto to-day, and his men are with him in that sentiment." 
And the cheers that went up as the general galloped across the 
field showed that the Third Corps believed in the intrepidity 
and skill of its impetuous leader. 

The men found the fences all down as they marched forward, 
the skirmishers having destroyed them in their advance, thus 
clearing the fields of barriers that might have impeded the move- 
ment. The line was soon formed, and a brief breathing spell 
was afforded before the death grapple of the two armies came. 



302 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

Off to the left, on a hillock, Jack saw the batteries forming 
and the men of Birney's division going into position in the peach 
orchard of Sherfey. Looking to the rear of them, he saw Round 
Top looming up over the field, with rugged sides and big bowl- 
ders on its flank and front. The question to be settled within 
the next two or three hours was, " Who shall hold that hill ? " 
On the decision of that question hung the fate of the nation. 
Let the rebels capture Round Top, and the Union is lost; if the 
Army of the Potomac can keep it the country is safe. 

It is half past three o'clock in the afternoon, and suddenly a 
cannon shot is heard, followed by another, a sign that something 
is going to happen. General Sickles has been at Meade's head- 
quarters, half a mile away to the rear on the Taneytown road, 
and the noise of the artillery brings him galloping to his corps, 
with General Meade following close behind, the two making a 
striking contrast. Sickles being a dashing and brilliant rider, 
while Meade, with his spare, spectacled figure and his un- 
gainly look, was lacking in some of the qualities that usually 
arouse enthusiasm on the field of battle. It seems that Sickles 
had gone out far beyond the point that Meade had intended as 
the line of battle, several motives prompting the movement, one 
being the fear that the rebels might occupy the Emmitsburg 
road and thence advance against the Union line and break it 
in pieces. He judged that the line he now occupied was better 
than the other which Meade had chosen. As the two generals 
sat on their horses for a moment, not far away from where Jack 
was stationed, it could be clearly seen that both were in deep 
concern. Finally, after some discussion. Sickles said, " Well, 
general, I will withdraw and resume my former position back 
yonder if you give the command." 

General Meade, rightly divining the movement then in prog- 
ress on the part of the enemy, said, " The Confederates will not 



THE STRUGGLE FOR ROUND TOP. 303 

let you withdraw now;" and the words were hardly out of his 
lips when an exploding shell in the air almost over their heads 
showed that the battle was begun. In five minutes the batteries 
on both sides, which had been wheeling into position, were 
belching forth round shot and shell against each other, and the 
attack of the rebels against the Union left flank was begun in 
earnest. Although the battle did not begin until nearly four 
in the afternoon, yet it made up in intensity and in deadliness 
for its short duration. The next four hours were full of untold 
horrors, and when that waning July evening was done the gath- 
ering gloom that settled down on the field, illumined by strug- 
gling moonbeams, covered nearly fifteen thousand men who had 
been killed, wounded, or captured. 

" Lieutenant Sanderson," said Captain Russell, of the division 
staff, as the fight opened, " General Humphreys says, deploy the 
company in the rear of the division, keep the ranks closed up, 
allow no straggling, and let no one pass to the rear except the 
wounded." 

" All right, captain," said Jack, " I will obey orders," as he 
turned to execute the command. " Sergeant McBride, see that 
the men off to the left are aligned and properly deployed." 

The sergeant turned to carry out instructions, his Irish wit 
coming to his aid even in the crash of the opening battle. With 
a merry twinkle in his eye he said, " Sure, liftenant, the gineral 
wants us to make a very thin line wid the company. I wish it 
could be made as thin as the air itsilf, so that no harrum could 
come to us from the murtherin' bullets. The thinner the better, 
says I." 

Soon the seventy men were scattered over a space of about 
half a mile in the order of skirmishers (close up to the second 
line of battle, which had been massed and held in reserve), each 
man eight or ten paces from his next-door neighbor. 



3(U WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

The battle, for a time, was off to the left in the peach orchard 
and in front of Round Top, and the division of Humphreys was 
not at first directly assaulted, but they had to take the stray 
bullets and shells that came in rapid succession from over the 
hill in their front. 

The sound of tremendous cheering, along with dreadful mus- 
ketry reports, attracted attention to Round Top in the early 
stage of the fight, and through the smoke once in a while the 
blue-coated men of the Fifth Corps could be seen hurrying over 
the rocks and forming into line, while cannon were drawn up 
by hand, just in time to prevent the hill falling into the posses- 
sion of the enemy. The Texan Rangers, under Hood, ardent 
as the tropics themselves, full of impetuous and contagious 
valor, hardy sons of the wild Southwest, were pushing with 
frightful yells for the summit. The fight there lasted for two 
mortal hours, until the granite bowlders dripped with blood and 
the steep, rough slopes of the hill were covered with bleeding 
bodies of men of the South and of the North, intermingled 
here and there where the wrestling lines of battle came together. 

Off to the left, in the peach orchard, hardly anything could 
be seen but shifting lines of infantry, coming to view once in a 
while through the smoke, which when it lifted for a moment 
revealed also the lines of cannon and the artillery men firing 
their pieces as fast as their lithe and muscular limbs could han- 
dle the ammunition and work the guns. Caissons with new 
supplies of grape and canister were flying, hauled by four horses, 
across the field ; and just above the lines of batteries, which 
were massed — thirty or fort)' cannon in all in the orchard — shell 
after shell could be seen exploding, each piece of shattered mis- 
sile fraught with death or wounds for man and horse. After 
an hour of fighting in the orchard, and beyond in the woods — 
where a jxindemonium was raging, fierce and frantic shouts and 



THE STRUGGLE FOR ROUND TOP. 305 

yells, dreadful musketry firing, and appalling artillery explosions 
from that direction telling that a desperate conflict was raging 
there — after an hour of this sort of thing an aid from General 
Sickles's headquarters galloped across the field to General 
Humphreys and said, " General, we need help over on our left. 
Birney's line will be driven in hopelessly unless you can rein- 
force it. General Sickles says send a part of your division on 
the double-quick to his relief." 

General Humphreys knew his own line was sure to be 
attacked, and that he would need more men than he had at 
hand to repel the assault imminent already, but he could not 
refuse, and in accord with the message sent Major Burns with 
the " Fourth Excelsior " regiment on the run to the relief of 
Birney's endangered troops. Off they marched with cheers, to 
be cut to pieces in Iront of Round Top as soon as they had 
fairly got into the swirlmg edge of the battle caldron. 

By this time the round shot and minie balls began to fly 
thick and fast among the troops of Humphreys's division. Jack, 
as he looked along his own line, saw now and then a man throw 
up his arms and fall, or spin around like a top, with a fatal hurt 
that had suddenly come to him, while among the troops in the 
front lines more and more havoc was being wrought. It was 
evident that a direct attack would soon come against this part of 
the line, for in the fields directly in their front could be seen 
glimpses of troops in butternut apparel getting ready for some 
sort of an onset, and meanwhile Lieutenant Seely's battery 
opening fire upon them. 

Suddenly there was disorder and confusion apparent in the 
peach orchard, as troops, some of them wounded and some in panic 
and dismay, in little squads appeared through the smoke, falling 
back out from among the peach trees. At the same time a 
heavy musketry fire came upon the front line of Humphreys's 

20 



306 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

men, and at this moment an officer from corps headquarters 
rode up, his horse bleeding from a wound in the neck and his 
own arm in a sHng, and cried in excitement, " General Sickles is 
wounded, and has been carried from the field. General Birney 
is in command of the corps, and directs that you change the ! 

front of your division so as to face toward the southwest. The 

I 

lines are broken at the peach orchard, and you will be taken in 
flank in ten minutes unless you change front. General Graham 
is wounded and in the hands of the enemy, and his brigade is 
torn to pieces ! " 

While the words were being spoken the batteries on the 
right of the division were retreating slowly, and those in the 
peach orchard were drawing back a few paces after each dis- 
charge, while it was clearly seen that they could not much longer 
stand the terrific pressure that was brought against them. Be- 
fore the change of front could be executed musketry in front, 
musketry on the right, and cannonade on the left told General 
Humphreys that he was attacked on three sides at once, and in 
the midst of this assault, made with indescribable fury, he must 
wheel his division, what remained of it, so as to make a half-face 
to the left. As though the regiments were on dress parade or 
executing a movement in review, without confusion or trepida- 
tion, they massed their columns, marched backward a few rods in | 
the face of the enemy, wheeled to the left, formed line of battle I 
again in the new direction, and began firing — one of the most 
difficult and skillful maneuvers ever done upon a battlefield. 

Just then Jack looked off to his left toward Round Top, and , 
in the intervale there was to be seen a touching spectacle. The 
Irish Brigade, with their emerald flag and the insignia of Erin 
in golden characters upon it waving above them, was advancing 
to go into battle in the region of the Devil's Den. Before they 
ventured into the actual battle they halted ; the priest who was 



THE STRUGGLE FOR ROUND TOP. 307 

their chaplain stood on a rock high above the field, where he 
could be seen by the whole command, and, with the bullets flying 
about him and with the awful battle raging in his front, he pro- 
nounced absolution in behalf of his kneeling constituents. For 
a moment they bowed there while the priest commended their 
souls to the mercy of God, and then, with a united and terrible 
shout, they dashed forward into the bloody field, out of which 
hardly two thirds emerged unhurt. 

The space occupied by the division of Humphreys by this 
time was the vortex of a caldron of fire, the crater of a volcano 
of destruction. Out of the seventy men under Jack's command, 
deployed as they were and not in the front line, and none of 
them having any chance to fire because of other duties in check- 
ing stragglers and caring for the wounded, one third were killed 
or wounded. It was seven o'clock, and the day was nearly over, 
but the fight grew hotter and hotter. It seemed as though it 
would be impossible for anybody to get out of that bubbling 
vortex of death unhurt. Jack, looking to the peach orchard, 
saw the lines there overwhelmed, flanked, and pressed irresist- 
ibly back. The batteries were surrounded, and one gun after 
another was captured by the enemy and turned against the 
Union forces, every horse having been killed and every man in 
the battery having fallen at his post. Against the weakened, 
struggling lines of Humphreys in the advancing twilight regi- 
ments of heroic Confederates were pressing with eager yells, 
trampling the wounded Union men under their feet as they 
pressed on, determined to capture Round Top before the night 
should fall. An enfilading rebel fire from the Emmitsburg road 
now tore its way through rank after rank, and from that direc- 
tion also were to be seen fresh rebel troops flanking the division 
on that side. The pressure was too great to be borne, and, 
without facing about, Humphreys's men, obeying orders to retreat 



308 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

toward the hill, slowly and sullenly yielded, step by step, to the 
invincible attack that pressed them from their advanced posi- 
tion at the Emmitsburg road gradually back toward the Round 
Top ridge. 

In some way Jack had failed to note any order to retreat. 
His blood was in a ferment, his brain distracted with the excite- 
ment and anxiety of the hour. He had for the time lost all 
thought of personal safety ; this time there was no fear or thought 
of flight in his mind. One awful fact stared him in the face, 
the Army of the Potomac was being defeated on Pennsylvania 
soil ! To retreat even half a mile seemed to him an irretriev- 
able disaster. Perhaps it meant flight, panic for miles, with the 
rebels in full pursuit ! He thought of his orders to keep the 
ranks closed up, and looked along his thin line of men, not 
fifty of them left, and not a dozen near enough to hear any com- 
mand he might give. In his distraction he burst into tears and 
then shouted, " Don't let a man through your line ! " The 
words were scarcely spoken when he found himself in the midst 
of the struggling division, which was being pushed back with 
irresistible force toward the ridge. His men were entangled in 
the confused throng ; it was impossible to maintain regimental 
lines ; yet the soldiers, without losing their heads or facing to 
the rear, were firing as fast as they could while falling back. In 
the midst of the mass Jack saw General Humphreys and Major 
Hamlin, cool but anxious, overwhelmed with anxiety and all but 
convinced that the only thing to be done was to die on the field, 
for it seemed as though the day was hopelessly lost. The gen- 
eral had to bring his little body of troops back over the field 
for half a mile from their advanced position so that they would 
fill in the vacancy in the original line in his rear. He had to 
do this while flanked and raked with a galling attack on both 
the rijrht and the left and facintr an overwhelming force in his 



THE STRUGGLE FOR ROUND TOP. 309 

front. The general afterward said that he thought at this junc- 
ture that all was lost, but if he did think so he never allowed 
any one else at the time to know the fears he suffered. 

As Jack fell back with the division he was in an agony of 
sorrow and despair. It seemed to him that the Union was being 
destroyed forever ; all hope of victory was taken away. A vision 
of slaughter off to the left added the climax to his overwrought 
emotions. Looking thither for a moment through the smoke 
and tumult, he saw a shell explode in the midst of a battery on 
the very top of the ghastly rock called " Devil's Den." The caisson 
was set on fire, and in a moment, with all its stock of ammunition, 
it exploded. Before the amazed and distracted eyes of the boy 
there flashed for a single instant against the sky the sight of 
wheels, limbs of horses and of men, pieces of timber, and scores 
of exploding shells, all inextricably interwoven into a spectacle 
of horror that almost drove his brain into madness. Then the 
smoke covered the scene, and backward the pressure still con- 
tinued to drive the struggling men of the division. 

Two things aided in restoring the frantic boy to something 
like the limitations of sanity. In the midst of the confusion he 
saw an officer who had lost an arm show himself possessed of 
the coolest sort of courage. His arm had been cut off above 
the elbow by a round shot ; the stump was as smooth as though 
the work had been done by a knife. A comrade had made a 
temporary tourniquet to stop the bleeding, and the determined 
man, with a lighted cigar in his mouth and without a sign of 
trepidation, was deliberately walking to the rear to find a sur- 
geon. This sight aided to reinforce Jack's self-possession. Fur- 
ther, nearing the hill in the rear, he heard a hearty cheer that 
seemed a token for good. Looking about him, he saw the familiar 
corps flag of the Sixth Army Corps, who were here at last, in 
time to help in the final struggle. The day was not lost, then, 



810 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

after all ! It was like passing from hell up to heaven to realize 
tliat there was really hope for the Union and that the rebels 
were not going to win. Still, the battle was not over yet. Off 
to the left, at Round Top, the glorious Pennsylvania Reserves 
could be heard cheering and shouting at the victory they had 
won in their magnificent charge down from the ridge, through 
the rocky valley, and out to the edge of that dreadful wheatfield, 
where Death, the reaper, had garnered a bloody harvest all the 
afternoon. Hancock the Magnificent, one of the most inspiring 
figures that ever roused and led men on any battlefield, was to 
be seen riding up and down the field, planting batteries, mar- 
shaling the reinforcements as they arrived, filling in the broken 
line, and aiding in the repulse of the advancing Confederates, 
who, in their eagerness to make a break in the Union line of bat- 
tle, followed Humphreys close on his heels. Their line, it is true, 
was thin by this time, and was not well reinforced, but it made 
up in courage and spirit what it lacked in weight, and actually 
penetrated through the Union ranks at one point. Hancock 
drove them back, and the batteries now lining the hill swept the 
space in their front with grape and canister. Out of the con- 
fusion, the smoke, the battle shouts, the awful din of the conflict, 
there came something like order and quiet as the rebels real- 
ized that they had failed to capture Round Top, and the boys 
in blue woke to the fact that that commanding point was still 
in their possession. 

Off to the right, at Cemetery Hill, and afterward at Culps 
Hill, from six o'clock till nine the battle raged, keeping up the 
tumult and suspense until long after nightfall. 

Jack in the tumult and retreat was separated from his com- 
mand, and in the darkness and confusion knew not where to find 
any of his men. Heartsick, exhausted, wondering what the 
issue of the battle would be on the morrow, he sought here and 




HANCOCK THE MAGNIFICENT. 



THE STRUGGLE FOR ROUND TOP. 313 

there in the gloom for his scattered company. Stumbling 
over the stumps and through the underbrush at the base of the 
northern flank of Round Top, he heard a familiar voice, that of 
Colonel Burling, commander of the New Jersey Brigade, which 
had been detached from Humphreys and lent to Birney during 
the fight. 

" How are you, colonel } " was the salutation of the boy 
as he halted for a moment at the spot where the officer was 
arranging a blanket in the darkness and getting ready for sleep. 

" O," was the sad reply, " we have had a dreadful day. My 
command is cut to pieces ! We left two thirds of them out in 
the wheatfield and in the peach orchard. Some of my choicest 
officers are dead, and my brave boys are killed and wounded, 
until there is but a handful of us left. I hardly know whether 
I am alive or dead. I appreciate the feelings of General Bir- 
ney, who said a while ago, in view of the disasters that have 
almost demolished his brave division, ' I wish I were dead ! I 
wish I were dead ! My poor boys, I wish I were dead.' " 

Out through the woods squads of men belonging to the am- 
bulance corps could be seen going here and there over the field 
gathering up the wounded, and all night long their moans and 
cries of pain, from the hospital in the rear and from the field in 
front, smote upon the heart of the boy as he tossed on the 
ground and sought almost in vain for sleep. 

Jack, before he slept, ran across Sergeant McBride, and the 
two rejoiced to find each other alive. " Where have you been ?" 
said Jack. 

" Sure, liftenant, I do not know where I haven't been, all over 
this infernal field, trying to help some of the poor fellows to the 
hospital. Sure it's a dreadful place ! Dead horses ivery- 
where, dying ones kicking and groaning, dead men by the 
thousand lying on the ground, and wounded rebels and Union 



3U WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

men lying together moaning and crying for water in ivery di- 
rection." 

" What did you see off to the left during the fight ? " said 
Jack, for the sergeant had gone with a message over to the 
region occupied by the first division late in the afternoon. 

" One thing I saw, liftenant, that I'll niver forget. I saw Gin- 
eral Sickles after he was wounded. He was yonder by the Tres- 
tle farmhouse on a stretcher, wid his leg covered up wid a 
blanket, so that nobody could see how bad he was hurted- 
When they was about to carry him to the rear he asked for a 
cigar, and he lit it and began to puff the smoke out of his mouth 
as handsome as you plaze. But, liftenant, I could see the great 
drops of sweat, from the hurt of his wound, stand out on his 
brow ; and yit for all that he spoke cheerfully to his staff, and 
niver let on that anything serious was wrong wid him. An' a 
cousin of mine, in the ambulance corps, Tim Maloney, saw him 
when the doctors tould him they would have to give him aither 
or chloroform and then cut off his leg. The gineral said he 
would not take it. The doctors did not know what to do wid 
him, until at last they said, ' It's yer one chance of life, gineral, 
to have your leg amputated.' And then the hero spoke up and 
said, ' Cut away, but give me a cigar first ! ' And, as sure as 
you are still alive and out of the fight of to-day, Gineral Sickles 
lay there without a whimper and smoked his cigar while the 
surgeons cut off his leg, he was that anxious that the boys of 
his corps should not find out how bad he was hurtcd when he was 
taken from the field. Didn't I tell you to-day Gineral Sickles 
was a dashing gineral ? It takes the ' Excelsior boys ' to know 
a good thing when they see it, and it's the ' Excelsior boys ' that 
belave in Gineral Daniel E. Sickles ! " 

Jack now sank into a collapse, which for the time served as 
a sleep. With groans of wounded men sounding in his ears, 



THE STRUGGLE FOR ROUND TOP. 



315 



with his heart heavy and anxious about the morrow, sorrowful for 
the losses in his own company, and praying for God's blessing on 
the Union and the flag in the conflict that must come with the 
rising sun, the almost heart-broken boy subsided into a sort of 
slumber, from which he started in frightful visions again and 
again throughout that awful night which followed the struggle 
of the second day, in front of Round Top, at Gettysburg. 




316 



WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

GETTYSBURG — THE CHARGE ON CEMETERY HILL. 













HAT will this day brin.^ forth?" 
was the question which agitated 
the opposing hosts as they watched 
the gray dawn appear in the early 
morning of Friday, July 3. Two 
clays of terrific struggle had 
passed without any decisive 
result ; thirty thousand men 
had either been killed, wound- 




^^^' ed, or captured already, and 

\'/;7^^>|^v,'; both armies were suffering 



r^^ 



\~ V, 



*^^- 

^ 



from the exhaustion and de- 
moralization incident to such 
a desperate battle ; and yet 
no victory had been won on 
either side. Would Lee attack 
again ? Was he ready to re- 
treat without further effort to 
capture the positions held by 
the Union army.'* Or was 
General Meade getting ready to assume the offensive ? Had he 
made up his mind that it was now time for him to attack his 
great adversary ? 

These were among the questions that racked the brains of 







GETTYSBURG— THE CHARGE ON CEMETERY HILL. 817 

those who were able, on account of their high commands, to 
overlook the whole situation. Wounded men, lying uncared for 
on the field, moaned and gasped for breath and for water, and in 
the intervals of their fever wondered what the issues of the day 
would be ; and the whole of that great host, numbering now over 
fifty thousand men in line on either side, after only a brief respite 
from the battle, which had come to an end between nine and 
ten o'clock on the preceding night, after lying on the ground 
with arms at hand and meagerly satisfying their hunger with the 
now rapidly diminishing contents of their depleted haversacks, 
rose from the earth at four next morning to face each other 
again in the bloody fray. 

Jack jumped from his bed of leaves and bushes at the dawn 
of day, roused by heavy musketry, into the midst of which 
the cannon soon sent their awful boomingf concussions. The 
boy had to rub his eyes for a moment to determine his where- 
abouts and locate the battle. Peeping over the hill to the west, 
toward the peach orchard, he saw that the lines of the Confed- 
erates were not advancing. Both sides in that vicinity were 
quiet ; even the skirmishers had no apparent spite at one another, 
and were content with warily watching each other over the muz- 
zles of their muskets, held so that they could shoot with fatal 
effect at the least sign of an advance on the part of their oppo- 
nents. There was no fighting, then, the boy saw, in his imme- 
diate front. Round Top was in the hands of the Union army, 
and was filled with blue-coated soldiers, who had surrounded it 
with a line of breastworks. On its top were several batteries, 
and the artillerists stood by their guns, ready to fire at a mo- 
ment's warning. The line of battle first indicated by General 
Meade was held, after the struggles of the preceding day, intact, 
just as it had been originally laid out. But where was the firing.? 
It grew more fierce each moment, and came from the northeast. 



318 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

Perhaps he might find out if he should go off in that direction 
after a bit. He could not get rid of this notion, and after skir- 
mishing about for a bite of breakfast, and luckily happening 
upon a comrade who had successfully foraged for chickens in 
the neighborhood and who shared his spoils with him, and find- 
ing that no change of position was intended at once, he secured 
permission to take a view of the line of battle and do a little 
exploration in the direction of the battle that was then going on 
two or three miles away, off at the right of the Union line. 

The boy started up the Taneytown road, and had not walked 
more than half a mile when he found himself at General Meade's 
headquarters, a little cabin by the roadside, with a garden round 
it, the locality being almost in the center of the whole line. In 
front, toward the west, were Hancock's men, massed several lines 
deep, and in all directions were to be seen officers of high rank, 
commanding divisions or corps, stationed close by or occupying 
staff positions at army headquarters. Dead horses, with distorted 
and swollen forms, lay here and there, and hospital attendants 
were still bringing in the wounded men and taking them to the 
hospitals in the rear. 

As the boy walked on up the Taneytown road he found his 
way barred by batteries and lines of battle, and he had to leave 
the public road and climb the hill to his right, which was sur- 
mounted, he found, by a cemetery, now crested with cannon and 
occupied with troops in all its extent. From this point he could 
look upon the town, the first opportunity he had yet had of 
seeing the village, with its quaint steeples and its shade trees. 
On the west he traced the Confederate line of battle on a low 
ridge topped with woods and orchards ; opposite the town their 
line left the ridcfe, ran through the villapfe, and then on around 
toward the east and southeast, embracing the Union line in the 
shape of a fishhook. Everything in the town and along the 



GETTYSBURG— THE CHARGE ON CEMETERY HILL. 319 

rebel line, in the direction of the west and north, was quiet ; 
but there was a terrific musketry fire going on in the woods off 
to the right, which Jack now found were located on a rough, 
rocky height called Gulp's Hill. Thick volumes of smoke 
rose from the trees, and troops were hurrying across the depres- 
sion that intervened between Cemetery Hill and that portion of 
the line now engaged in battle. Batteries were taking position, 
and further preparations were going on to make the hill still 
stronger. 

The village cemetery was a frightful spot. The batteries on 
this eminence had been exposed to a devastating artillery fire and 
had suffered severely, as was shown by the numbers of dead 
horses lying about, the dismounted cannon and broken caissons 
which cumbered the ground, the defaced monuments and frac- 
tured tombstones which showed the effects of the shelline the 
place had received. Here and there were wounded men who 
had not yet been taken to the hospital, and hundreds of infantry 
lying on the graves or stretched on the paths, while the ground 
everywhere was covered with the litter and refuse and debris of 
the battlefield — broken rammers from the cannon, cast-off wheels, 
abandoned knapsacks, torn blankets, ruined muskets, discarded 
bayonets, saddles, harness, ammunition cases, caps, hats, coats, 
and an indescribable lot of other rubbish accumulated amid the 
confusion and havoc of the battle and lying on every side. 

The arched gateway of the cemetery. Jack noted as he 
emerged from it and cautiously peered about him, had been 
battered by shot and shell ; it was destined to suffer still more 
severely before the night should come again. In front of it ran 
the Baltimore pike, the road by which many of the Union troops 
had arrived on the field the day before. As the boy passed 
across the pike he saw that it was occupied by a battery of artil- 
lery ; half a dozen field pieces were pointed down toward the 



o20 WHAT A BOV SAW IN THE ARMY. 

town, so as to sweep the whole width of the road in case any 
attempt might be made to storm it. On the other side of the 
road he stepped over the broken-down fence into an open field, 
and walked a hundred yards farther, when he came to the top of 
the hill, which, on its northern flank, was steep and grassy and sur- 
mounted by redoubts, in the shelter of which were massed three 
or four batteries, their guns pointing in the various directions 
from which an assault was possible. As he sauntered along, 
noting that the sounds of battle were getting more violent off 
to the rio;ht, and wonderino- what the issues of it miorht be, he 
heard himself called by name, and looking around he saw, to his 
delight, an old school friend, somewhat older than himself, from 
a neighboring town near his home. 

" Why, Jack Sanderson, is that you } Old fellow, how are 
you ? Have you escaped the rebel bullets thus far ? How did 
you find your way to this part of the line?" 

It was the cheery voice of Lieutenant Brockway, of Captain 
Ricketts's Pennsylvania battery, stationed at that point in the 
battle. He was putting the redoubts in order, strengthening 
the fortifications, and cleaning up his guns, getting ready for 
whatever trouble might develop later on in the fight. The 
rifled guns had seen service, that was evident — wood work all 
battered and broken, wheels smashed, a field piece dismounted, 
one cannon spiked, half a dozen dead horses lying in the 
vicinity, and the earthworks bearing the marks of a terrific can- 
nonade. 

" Charley, old friend, I'm glad to find you alive. Is this your | 
post of duty.-* I am just trying to get an idea of the extent ' 
and direction of our line. Our division is about a mile away on 
the Taneytown road, and while the boys are lying there in 
reserve for a while I got permission to do a little exploring. It 
looks here as if you had had something of a fight in this locality." fj 



GETTYSBURG— THE CHARGE ON CEMETERY HILL. 321 

" Fight ? " said the Heutenant " fight ? I wish you had 
been here last night about seven o'clock, and you would have 
said it was a fight ! " 

" Well, now, Charley, last night at seven o'clock I was where 
we had just about as much of a fight as I ever want to see. We 
were driven from near the peach orchard back to the line of 
the Taneytown road, step by step, in a whirlwind of battle. I 
was almost crazy for a while with fear lest we were being 
whipped out of our boots and with the terrible excitement of 
the hour. If you had any worse experiences over here than we 
had near Round Top I am glad I was not here to see it. But 
tell me something about your skirmish here last night. What 
was it all about } What did the rebels do ? How far did they 
come up this hill } " This was the eager inquiry of Jack, on 
the alert to get an account of the fight from one who had been 
in it. 

Lieutenant Brockway puckered up his mouth for a brief 
whistle of wonder and interest for a moment as he elanced 
across the landscape toward Gulp's Hill and noted that the noise 
was becoming more tumultuous and the smoke more volumi- 
nous and dense as it rose from the woods, where great masses of 
infantry were struggling in deadly conflict, and replied: " How far 
did the rebels come up this hill 7 They actually took the hill, 
and right here where we stand, in the rear of our own guns, 
we had a terrible tug with them, hand to hand and face to face, 
for half an hour. It seemed as though everything was lost 
when we saw this center taken by the enemy." 

Jack looked at his watch and noted that his time was nearly 
exhausted, and that in a little while he must return to his com- 
mand, and said : " Tell me about it, Charley, if you can, in brief. 
I must return pretty soon, and I want to have your account of 

the fight here at the center before I go." 
2i 



322 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

Lieutenant Brockway, stopping now and then to keep track 
of the squad of men who were strengthening the earthworks, 
getting the guns ready for action, and repairing ciamages 
wrought the evening before, began his story : 

" We heard the sound of the opening battle out in the neigh- 
borhood of Round Top yesterday afternoon, but were not 
directly engaged until the worst of your fight was over. All the 
afternoon, during the fight at Round Top, the troops about us 
here — the infantry, I mean — were sent off to the left to help 
Sickles, Sykes, and Hancock, and when evening came on we 
had but a thin line of troops at the base of the hill yonder to 
support these batteries around us. About half past six o'clock 
the rebel batteries over yonder, a mile away, opened against us 
with a furious cannonade, and we replied in the same fashion. 
We got the range of their guns, and I sent one shell right into 
the midst of their gunners that I know must have made sad 
work with them. At sunset we found out what the bombard- 
ment meant. I saw a line of men march by the flank out from 
one of the streets of the village yonder and form in the fields 
to the east of the town. When they wheeled into line front- 
ing toward us I knew what was coming. They were getting 
ready to charge these heights, with the ' Louisiana Tigers,' as I 
learned after they reached us from some of the prisoners we 
captured, in the lead. It was a grand sight to look on, that 
marching host of three brigades, with their flashing guns and 
their waving flags, and their line firm and well dressed as though 
out on parade." 

" But," interrupted Jack, in his interest, as he almost saw the 
picture for himself, so vividly did his friend paint it before his 
eyes on the very spot, which was still wet and red from the 
blood of the contestants, " but, Charley, they did not maintain 
that line clear up this hill .-* You do not tell me that they 



GETTYSBURG— THE CHARGE ON CEMETERY HILL. 323 

actually charged half a mile across these fields and made their way 
into these redoubts and took these guns out of your hands ? " 

" Hold on, Jack," said the lieutenant, " I'm telling this story, 
if you please ; you are in too great a hurry. We will come to 
that part of it soon enough. Of course they could not keep 
up a correctly dressed line half a mile in a bayonet charge, with 
our batteries blazing into them at every step, but it was a splen- 
did sight, nevertheless, to behold them as they marched through 
the smoke across the fields, yelling, waving their banners, and 
at first firing volley after volley of musketry. Yonder, on their 
left, our batteries from Gulp's Hill played on them so terribly 
that their line was broken — smashed to pieces, in fact. But here, 
right in front of our redoubts, they kept on in spite of all we 
could do. There was only a thin line of infantry at the foot 
of the hill yonder, in the breastworks, to support our guns. I 
hardly believed they could withstand long the assault which the 
rebels made when I saw how the gray-backs marched. We found 
out before long that the famous Louisiana Tigers led the charge, 
and they did themselves credit, I tell you. 

" Their guns on yonder hill, a mile away, had been, as I said, 
concentrating their fire on us for half an hour before the infan- 
try began to show themselves, and we had been replying to 
them, giving them as good as we got from them. Now, how- 
ever, we found it necessary to heed the men with the muskets. 
They had to march half a mile, almost all the way uphill, before 
they struck us, and then they made the splinters fly ! A hun- 
dred yards in our front the weak and scattered regiments that 
supported us fired off two or three volleys, and then had to 
run to keep from being captured, for the 'Johnnies' pressed 
right on in the face of their fire. We had twenty cannon here 
pointed down the hill, but we could not depress the guns to 
sweep the hill as we would like to have done ; but we rammed 



324 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

down the shrapnel and grape and canister, and made those 
twenty cannon hissing hot before we were through. Those fel- 
lows never stopped for anything, but pressed right on up the 
slope, determined to take the hill. We could hardly see what 
was going on because of the smoke, but you may fancy how we 
felt when we found the infantry in our front retreatinor and close 
on their heels the Louisiana Tigers bursting through the smoke 
and running right into our teeth, coming in full ranks over the 
redoubts and falling with their bayonets on our gunners ! My 
men would not give up their pieces, and hand to hand with the 
Confederates they struggled for the hill. Some of my boys 
were bayoneted at the mouth of their guns, and the two lines 
were so mixed up in the dusk of the evening that it was hard 
to tell ' t'other from which.' I had been over to the right of the 
battery, but when I saw the rebels pouring in over the redoubt 
on the left I hurried over there, and found myself in the midst ' 
of a tussling, struggling, swearing, yelling mass of soldiers, blue- 
coats and butternuts all mixed up together ! The rascals had 
spiked one of our guns, but my boys were whirling their hand- 
spikes, swinging their rammers, and using their fists all along 
the hill in the rear of the cannon. It had grown dark, but as 
the muskets blazed in our faces we could see that the rebels had 
gained their point — they had really taken Cemetery Hill, the 
very center of our whole line. I thought all was lost, but I was , 
so desperate that I did not care what came to me personalh' in 
the battle, and so I pitched in with all my might. Right in front 
of me, as I came into the throng, was a Confederate who had j 
captured our battery guidon and one of our horses, and the 
fellow was trying in the darkness to make off with both. I 
felt for my revolver, but I found it gone just when I needed it 
most. I determined I would not let that fellow steal our Hag 
nor capture that horse, so I picked up a stone and knocked liim 



GETTYSBURG— THE CHARGE ON CEMETERY HILL. 327 

to the earth with that, and down I pounced on him and grabbed 
the flag out of his hands, and as I lifted it into the air the staff 
was shot in two while I waved it aloft. I did not care for the 
stick, but I was mighty glad to save that guidon." 

" Well, Charley, what next ? I'll have to go back to the 
division pretty soon. How did the thing close } Who licked ? " 

"Why, we licked, of course. How could I tell you the story 
and show you the hill if we had not licked.-^ In the midst of 
the fight we heard a voice like a bulldog's shouting out, ' Give 
'em cold steel, boys ! ' and across Baltimore pike, from the ceme- 
tery, came a brigade with General Carroll — " 

" Carroll !" said Jack ; " I know him. He led our brigade at 
Fredericksburg. I shall never forget that voice, and I do not 
know anybody who is more reckless and daring than he is. He 
was a splendid commander to lead a forlorn hope. To hear 
his voice ordering a charge is worth a whole regiment in itself 
as a reinforcement." 

" General Carroll," continued Lieutenant Brockway, " arrived 
just in time to relieve the pressure upon us and enable us to 
keep our post. We were overwhelmed, hemmed in, almost sur- 
rounded, and yet the boys of Ricketts's Battery and those asso- 
ciated with us clung to their guns and fought like demons to 
rescue them from the hands of the rebels even when it seemed 
a hopeless struggle. When Carroll's men came to our help we 
were almost ready to die in our tracks, and thus give up the 
ground to the Confederates; but we would not have surrendered 
our guns nor ourselves. We would have died first ! " And the 
gallant lieutenant wiped the perspiration from his brow and drew 
a deep breath as he realized once more what a trying ordeal 
he and his brave boys had gone through the night before. 

Meanwhile the firing on the ridge called Gulp's Hill became 
more and more furious, and wild, fierce yells came from the 



328 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

Opposing ranks, but it was impossible to tell which side was gain- 
ing any advantage. Jack bade good-bye to his friend and started 
back to the division, noting as he went that troops were being 
hurried across to the place where the fighting was going on, and 
also finding out, as he passed General Meade's headquarters, 
that the ranks in that vicinity were being rapidly and thoroughly 
strengthened by troops, which were massed in several lines of 
battle along the ridge facing the plain, on the other side of which, 
to the west, the rebels were arranged beyond the Emmitsburg 
road. 

About ten years after the battle Jack lived for a while in the 
town of Gettysburg, and here one day he picked up an incident 
in relation to the charge of the rebels up the slopes of Cemetery 
Hill on the evening of July 2 which may be interesting in con- 
nection with the description of that affair which we have just 
given. A lady in the town, Mrs. Robert Sheads, a devout and 
patriotic wonian, lived on one of the streets of the town traversed 
by the Confederates as they marched out to the field that even- 
ing. They were massed for half an hour or more in front of her 
house while the artillery was shelling the hill and trying to 
break the Union line of battle, and thus open the way for the 
infantry to charge. The boys were talking together of what 
they were going to attempt. One of them said, " Boys, we are 
going to take that hill where the graveyard is. It will be a 
steep climb, but wc will do it or die." 

"Yes," said another one of the command — the Louisiana 
Tigers — " we are going to take that hill and capture the guns 
that have been shelling our lines all day." 

In a little while they marched out to the field and were lost 
to her sight ; but her heart was almost broken with anxiety and 
dread lest their threat should be carried out. At last, in an 
agony of fear, she turned to her husband and with tears cried 



GETTYSBURG— THE CHARGE ON CEMETERY HILL. '329 

out, " Robert, let us go to God in prayer. Let us ask him to 
help our boys keep their battery." And while that battle of 
two hours wa$ in progress, while the Confederates were pressing 
their way up the death-swept, fire-scathed slope, that woman 
was upon her knees in prayer, pleading that they might be helped 
and the battery might be saved. Who can tell how much the 
prayer of that wrestling soul accomplished toward deciding the 
battle and saving the day ? 

Off to the right about eleven o'clock the musketry firing 
grew less severe and finally ceased. There was a wild yell, a roar 
of thousands of voices, and then silence. The ground in that 
wooded height, at the close of the fight, was cut and torn to 
pieces with musketry. Trees as large as a man's body were 
sawed in two by musket balls, no artillery being used here at 
all. For seven deathful hours charofe and countercharge were 
made, until the earth was finally covered with the mangled 
bodies of men in blue and men in gray, whose blood inter- 
mingled as it reddened the soil. At last Ruger and Geary, with 
their divisions of the Twelfth Corps, under Williams, drove the 
Confederates out of the intrenchments which they had occupied 
all night, and thus regained our former line of battle. 

For two hours, from eleven till one, that day there was quiet. 
All the sounds of battle were lulled. What did it mean ? What 
further movement was planned ? Lee had first attacked the left 
flank of the Union line at Round Top, and had failed to make 
an jmpression there ; next he had charged with the Louisiana 
Tigers on the center, and that attack had been repulsed ; later, 
at nine o'clock at night on Thursday, July 2, he had driven in the 
lines of Meade on Gulp's Hill ; but this advantage had been 
neutralized by the charge of Geary, who had just now, at a little 
before eleven in the morning of Friday, retaken the intrench- 
ments lost the night before, so that the original line of battle 



330 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

established by Meade on Thursday morning was now held as at 
first laid out, without an indentation or a break anywhere in its 
extent. Thus in turn Lee had attacked the left, the center, and 
the right of the Union position without obtaining a lodgment or 
breaking: throuQ-h the line. What would he do next } 

The silence continued for two hours, oppressive and awful 
on account of the suspense and uncertainty that overhung the 
field, and because of the contrast between the awful hush and the 
tumult that had immediately preceded it. Jack fairly held his 
breath as the stillness grew dense and the silence appalling. 

The broken division of Humphreys was placed in the rear 
of Hancock's men on the left center of the Union line. Here 
the soldiers were closed en viassc, line after line, in solid blocks, 
in support of the divisions in the front, which were deployed 
in actual line of battle. Cannon stood alono- the rido-e as 
thickly as they could be planted, while reserve stores of ammu- 
nition were close at hand. Jack felt a strange sense of awe; 
an oppressive and ominous dread of he knew not what came 
over him in that interval of silence. The nerves of all that 
army were held in the very tensest strain, and with a solemnity 
and dread that smote to the very depths of the soul the host 
waited for the next move to be made. When and where would 
that next blow fall ? 



^^^^'^'''' Ik 



-^ 







GETTYSBURG— THE GREAT VICTORY. 



831 



CHAPTER XX. 

GETTYSBURG THE GREAT VICTORY. 

minutes before one o'clock on Fri- 
day, July 3, silence reigned su- 
preme all along the embattled 
lines of the two great armies 
which stood face to face, taking 
their breath in anticipation of a 
final struggle, this time " even 
unto death." Three minutes 
elapsed and the hush, 
which had lasted almost 
two mortal hours, still con- 
tinued. Then came a can- 
non shot, and at the in- 
terval of sixty seconds 
another, and then pande- 
monium ! The heavens were on 
fire, the earth shook with an awful 
trembline, the air was torn and distracted 
with terrific concussions, furious and incessant 
explosions from booming cannon and bursting shells and whiz- 
zing round shot and screaming projectiles of various sorts, shapes, 
and sizes coming from about one hundred and fifty guns that had 
been ranged in batteries on the hills occupied by the Confeder- 
ate line of battle. 




332 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

Throughout the whole of the morning the rebel artillerists 
had been concentrating the aim of their cannon upon the left 
center of the Union line with the aim of breaking up and 
thoroughly demoralizing that portion of that army. They had 
massed their guns, skillfully arranged them so as to cover the 
threatened section of the Union troops, and at the given signal of 
two cannon shots had opened their fire halfway around the horizon. 
On the instant about twenty-five batteries of rifled or smooth- 
bore cannon, six guns In each battery, of various caliber, and car- 
rying all sorts of missiles, vomited forth each one a volume of 
flame, a cloud of sulphurous smoke, and a steel or iron projec- 
tile, perhaps filled with explosives and packed with other mis- 
siles, all ready at the proper moment to burst in the midst or 
over the heads of the Union troops. It was as though hell had 
broken loose when those dreadful enorlnes of destruction beg^an 
all at once their havoc, after two hours of breathless suspense 
and absolute silence. The noise, the confusion, the violence of 
a thousand earthquakes and thunderstorms all packed into one 
seemed to burst forth in a moment as the cannoneers obeyed 
the signal to fire and launched forth their implements of death 
into the air at one o'clock that afternoon. 

On the other hand, General Meade had not been idle. His 
generalship in the battle was nowhere so clearly shown as in his 
foresitrht in connection with the final movement of the foe. He 
divined in advance the intention of General Lee ; massed his 
reserved artillery on the hills, where he could best reply to the 
guns of his antagonist ; packed his troops several lines deep 
along the threatened portion of his front ; and when the des- 
perate blow of the Army of Northern Virginia was at last 
launched in all its fury the Union commander was ready to 
meet it. He had hardly need to move a man, to change the po- 
sition of a gun, to add a regiment to the forces already in rear 



GETTYSBURG— THE GREAT VICTORY. 333 

of the part of his Hne which was the special object of the concen- 
trated artillery and infantry attack of the enemy. He could 
hardly have made his plans better in this regard if he had been 
informed by Lee in advance concerning the objective point in 
the last move of the orame. 

After a few moments of delay on the Union side more than 
a hundred cannon replied to those which had opened the battle 
along the Confederate lines. The artillerists had stood on 
either side, lanyard in hand, guns in position, ammunition in 
large quantities within reach, cannon loaded and ready to go off 
with a single pull at the twine connected with the friction tube 
in the touch-hole. On the given signal the rebel cannoneers 
twitched the twine and tortured the atmosphere with the infer- 
nal tumult of their cannonade. In a little while the Union gun- 
ners, who had been standing, for half an hour at least, in readi- 
ness for whatever movement might develop, took their cue, made 
sure their aim at the opposing batteries, and responded with six- 
score fieldpieces. More than three hundred cannon altogether 
conspired to produce a furious series of explosions, a horrible, sky- 
rending, earth-shaking, soul-stunning tempest of fire, of smoke, 
and of thunderous detonations, never before or since witnessed 
on the American continent. No such cannonade as that which 
preceded Pickett's charge ever took place on any other battle- 
field of America. General Hancock spoke of it in his report as 
the " heaviest artillery fire " he had ever known. 

The artillery, of course, was most exposed to this terrific 
storm of iron hail, this tempest of bullets and exploding shells. 
The infantry lay down flat on the earth, hid behind stone fences, 
if any were near, found some shelter in the rear of bowlders at 
certain points of the field, dug slight trenches in the ground, and 
in all possible ways shielded themselves from the pelting blasts 
of deadly projectiles that filled the spaces over their heads. 



334 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

Jack, with his men close packed together, lay with the divi- 
sion, with columns closed en masse in reserve, in the second line 
of battle, in the very focus of the concentrated artillery fire of 
the enemy. It seemed to them that it was the unluckiest place 
in the line, for the front ranks were on the top of a slight ridge, 
or on the slope of the hill toward the enemy, and the guns of 
the rebels were so aimed as just to miss this hilltop and fall 
over it on the slope occupied by the troops held in reserve, sup- 
porting the Second Corps, to which detachment Jack and his 
men now belonged. The howls, the infernal screams, the un- 
earthly shrieks, and the fiend-like wailings of these various 
projectiles no man can now describe or fancy. He must have 
listened to them to be able to picture them to his imagination. 
And yet there were revelations of pathos and merriment even 
in the very midst of the eruptions of that volcanic and fiery 
cannonade. 

Sergeant McBride, for one, could not be repressed, although 
almost every moment the wild screeching of a bomb, or the ex- 
plosion of shrapnel shells, or the whizzing of a round shot, or 
the rattle of fragments of exploding missiles of various sorts 
upon the rocks and earth imposed silence on ever)- tongue 
but his and pallor on almost every face. The merry Irishman 
joked to keep his courage up; and " Mishter Lee," he muttered to 
himself as a screaming projectile passed just over his head and 
struck in the road a few yards behind him, making the gravel 
fly and the dust ascend in a whirlwind and scattering pieces in 
all directions, " Mishter Lee, be careful now wid your hardware. 
Betther save some of it for another occasion. Remimber that 
iron is scarce in the South an' it's hard to run the blockade, 
and foundries are not plinty in the Confideracy, By the sowls 
of all my ancestors in ould Ireland," he continued, as a wild, 
piercing, wailing scream like that of a dcnion in torment came 



GETTYSBURG— THE GREAT VICTORY. 335 

from another missile, issued from an English Whitworth rifled 
gun, and falling close by the witty sergeant, " they've ex- 
hausted purgatory and opened the door into the lowermost re- 
gions, for that noise came from some crayture in deadly pain. 
Sure it sounds as if they had the spirits of the dead in their 
guns and were firing them at us this day. The Lord and all 
the saints presarve us, for that sounds as though the ould divil 
himself, which St. Paul says is the prince of the power of the air, 
had sure enough got after us this day. D'ye hear him scraych 
and yell and howl and whine and groan all through this sulphu- 
reous atmosphere. It smells like him, too. Phew, wid all this 
gunpowder in my throat Pve had a taste of the very ould Satan 
himself this day !" 

Just as Sergeant McBride finished this sentence an explosive 
with an uncommonly dreadful noise accompanying it passed 
over him, barely grazing the place which his head had occupied 
a moment before. The sergeant, alert and wary, had dodged 
just in time to escape death by sprawling on the ground with 
an instantaneous movement downward, which left him collapsed 
and wriggling on the earth. To Jack and his comrades it 
seemed, so quick was the whole performance, that McBride must 
surely be killed, but in a moment they were relieved to see him 
half rise from the ground and put his thumb to his nose and 
look toward the rear, where the projectile had just burst, and 
cry out, " I chated ye that time, ye ould Confiderate divil, ye. I 
heard ye comin' and squatted quick. Sure, if a man is born to be 
hung you cannot kill him wid an ould rebel murdherin' shell ! " 

Jack broke in on the Irishman now with a command : " Ser- 
geant McBride, keep your place in the line, and do not rise until 
you are ordered to. You have no right to get up and expose 
yourself needlessly. Keep your head down now, and maybe you 
will cheat the devil and o-et through the battle without harm." 



336 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

Some of the boys had lighted their pipes and were trying to 
calm their excitement and keep themselves in equipoise by the 
soporific power of tobacco ; but with all the power of discipline 
and tobacco combined it was a trying thing to lie still and take 
that awful cannonade and quietly wait for whatever desperate 
assault might follow up the roar and destruction wrought by the 
thunderous guns. 

The batteries of artillery suffered the most, after all, from this 
dreadful duel, some of them being actually torn to pieces, guns 
dismounted, caissons blown up, men shot down, earthworks de- 
stroyed, horses killed. Prodigies of valor were performed by 
these heroic men in the midst of the havoc and violence and 
smoke and slaughter that raged about them with more than 
volcanic force. Not very far away from where Jack was sta- 
tioned in the line was a battery belonging to the regular artil- 
lery, in the very focus of the storm that beat from the Confed- 
erate guns upon the Union line. A sergeant of this command 
fell a victim to the explosion of a shell which burst in the very 
midst of the guns whose fire he was directing. In a moment 
others rose from the earth unhurt, but he lay gasping for 
breath ; one of his comrades came to speak to him and find out 
if he was injured. He saw at once that the sergeant was fatally 
wounded, the blood from a shocking hurt in his breast rapidly 
ebbing away. The comrade stooped to give the dying man his 
hand and a helpful word, when the latter said, " Have you water } 
Give me a drink." And with the request the eyes of the dying 
man began to fail and his breath came in gasps and sobs, and it 
was clear that he had not long to live. The comrade replied, as 
he shook his canteen and found it empty, and saw that the fight 
was getting more fierce and terrible, every man's energies being 
occupied with the work of manning the guns, and additional ex- 
plosives falling every second in their ranks and among their 



GETTYSBURG— THE GREAT VICTORY. 



537 



rifled guns, " O, my boy, I have not a drop of water, and the 
battle is too hot for me to get any now." 

The dying artillerist caught the words, and for a moment 
roused himself from the stupor which was overwhelming his fac- 
ulties. Then he exerted his dying energies to lift up his body 
and raise his voice so that he might be heard by his comrades 




"BOYS, NEVER GIVE UP YOUR BATTERY!" 

around him. It was his last message, and even amid the con- 
fusion and noise and tumult that raged on the hill many of his 
comrades heard the stirring words, worthy to stand in history 
alongside of Lawrence's immortal utterance, " Don't give up the 
ship ! " The dying man expended his waning strength in one 
supreme effort, and shouted with heroic fervor, "Boys, never give 
up your battery ! " and fell over dead. 

22 



338 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

After an hour and a half of artillery work the Union guns 
suddenly ceased firing. General Meade, and General Hunt, his 
chief of artillery, at the same moment, one at one end of the 
line and the other at another point, gave the command to cease 
firing in order to save ammunition and bring on the final attack, 
which they clearly foresaw would be made. General Lee took 
it for granted, in view of the sudden silence of the guns of the 
Army of the Potomac, that its batteries must be destroyed and 
its forces disorganized. He proceeded at once to carry out, 
therefore, a movement which he had been getting ready for all 
day. In McMillan's orchard and in the woods that crest Semi- 
nary Ridge he had been massing his choicest brigades of infantry 
with the purpose of making a final, desperate charge against 
the left center of the Union line after the cannonade had de- 
moralized and broken it to pieces. Longstreet had command 
of the general movement, but the charge itself was committed 
to the care of General Pickett, with his brigade of Virginia 
troops as his main support to lead the van. Fourteen thousand 
men in all were picked out early in the day, and massed behind 
Seminary Ridge they patiently awaited the summons to charge. 
The hour of destiny for them, and for the world as well, had 
come, and, without waiting for the orders which Longstreet in 
his foreboding that the movement could not succeed was hardly 
able to frame, Pickett assumed leadership and sounded forth 
the command to march forward across the plain. 

Standing on the hill where the Union troops are posted let 
us try to picture that almost matchless movement. A stone 
fence is immediately in our front, with batteries of artillery lin- 
ing the slope. Look about you : here are bronzed and worn 
veterans in blue, with a set and dogged expression on their lips 
and in their eyes, line after line of them, massed on both slopes 
and on the crest of the ridge in support of the batteries. In 



GETTYSBURG— THE GREAT VICTORY. 839 

front, toward the west, is the advanced Hne of Union troops, and 
beyond them are pleasant fields rolling in beauty; the fences are 
mostly broken down ; the road to Emmitsburg crosses the land- 
scape toward the southwest, and a mile away toward the region 
of the setting sun Seminary Ridge, crested with woods and 
orchards, limits the view. Over this plain and against these 
batteries and upon this stone wall more than ten thousand men 
are about to be led with a furious and indomitable courage not 
to be paralleled by any other martial achievement hitherto 
wrought by the Army of Northern Virginia. As we look with 
bated breath and quivering nerves on the landscape we behold 
the shimmer of steel along the distant ridge, and then the flut- 
ter of banners and then an advancinof line of men emereing- out 
from the cover of the orchard and the woods. They reach in 
length almost a mile as they come into view, with battle flags 
waving and muskets glittering in the July sun, which with pitiless 
heat beats down on the field. Another line appears behind the 
first, and then another still, Pickett's select body of Virginians 
leading the advance, and all of the warriors clad in uniforms of 
butternut or gray. 

They are at the start fully a mile off, and they are not yet 
ready to charge ; but with steady, determined tread, with the 
bearing of men who know on what a desperate mission they 
have been sent, and who have resolved to carry the Union line 
or perish, indeed, in " the last ditch," they come across that roll- 
ing plain. No man who looked on the scene can ever forget it. 
There was at the outset no impetuous, hot-headed Southern 
valor, but a cool, disciplined steadiness that won the admiration 
of all who beheld the attack. 

Almost from the start the Union cannon were trained upon 
them, and in the distance solid shot plowed their way through 
the Confederate ranks ; as these came nearer shells were sent 



340 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

skillfully amon^L^ them, exploding in their faces ; sixty or seventy 
pieces of artillery got the range of the advancing line and began 
a terrific fire as soon as the infantry came out from cover. From 
Round Top the charging host were assailed by shot and shell 
from forty cannon, which took them in fiank at the distance of 
over a mile. No sign, however, of demoralization was noted as 
the fruit of this artillery fire, for as fast as men fell dead or 
wounded others crowded up to take the vacated places. Clouds 
of smoke soon covered the field, but now and then a puff of air 
cleared away the mists of the battle, ever and anon revealing 
that embattled host, with solid front of glistening steel and with 
invincible heroism, making its way over the fields and pushing 
with wild, shrill yells for the position before them, the summit of 
the hill. 

" O now let every heart be stanch and every aim be true I 

For look ! from yonder wood that skirts the valley's farther marge 

The flower of all the Southern host move to the final charge. 

By heaven ! it is fearful sight to see their double rank 

Come with a hundred battle flags — a mile from flank to flank I 

Trampling the grain to earth they come, ten thousand men abreast ; 

Their standards wave — their hearts are brave — they hasten not nor rest. 

But close the gaps our cannon make, and onward press, and nigher, 

And yelling at our very front again pour in their fire ! " 

Pickett's men have now reached the Emmitsburg road in the 
Union front, and here he halts to re-form his line, which is rent 
and torn with canister and grape-shot from the Union bat- 
teries. After only a brief stay he issues the command, " For- 
ward ! " and with exultant and eager tread, moving soon into 
the double-quick, his magnificent men speed on their way. Will 
anything check them ? Are they indeed to carry the hill and 
pierce the Union line of battle ? 

The Union infantr)' have been reserving their fire until the 
rebels should come within close range. Now they are but a 



GETTYSBURG— THE GREAT VICTORY. 341 

hundred paces off, and their firm, well-aligned ranks of men in 
brown and gray can be clearly seen at intervals in spite of the 
smoke from the batteries. The men along the Union lines 
can be restrained no longer. A sheet of flame and smoke bursts 
from their guns. When the smoke lifts for a moment the first 
line of the Confederate division is melted as the frosts are dis- 
solved before the beams of the morning ; but the second presses 
on with the fierce Southern battle yell which can never die out 
in the memory of those who have listened to it. Fifty battle 
flags are waving in the fight, ten thousand men are charging our 
works ; with wild yells and bayonets at a charge they rush 
against our barricade. The two lines at last have come together, 
and they mingle in a tumultuous, infernal, bloody struggle which 
can never be forgotten by anyone who was there to get even a 
glimpse of it. 

The outermost line of the Union troops were overwhelmed 
by the savage and desperate pressure of the charging lines, and 
was pressed back toward the top of the ridge. Commotion and 
tumult ensued, which threatened to spread disaster in all direc- 
tions. An appalling tremor thrilled like a pulse of terror through 
all the ranks of excited men. Could any force withstand this 
mad onset, this living catapult, which had been hurled for a mile 
across the plain, and which solid shot, shells, grape, and canister 
had failed to swerve from its deadly course ? 

Armistead, the leader of one of Pickett's brigades, headed 
the advance with an ardor, an impetuosity, and a magnetic bear- 
ing that were worthy of a better cause. Foremost in the line, 
leading the charge, he leaped upon a barricade that had been 
thrown up as a sort of intrenchment for the Union troops and 
urged his men forward. With his hat off, and waving his sword 
high in air, and followed by scores of his bravest men, he dashes 
down into the forest of bayonets and strives to make a pathway 



342 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

for his followers through the bloody ranks of men in blut^ who 
vibrate to and fro in the terrible crisis that is upon them. The 
batteries can no longer fire, lest they may hurt their own men ; 
but before they cease firing Lieutenant Alonzo H. Gushing, a 
young West Point graduate, only twenty-two years of age, barely 
two years out of school, a model of youthful gallantry and grace, 
crowned his heroic career with a final act of patriotic devotion. 
All of his cannon but one, in the battery he commanded, had 
been disabled, and he had been bleeding and suffering from 
dreadful wounds for two hours, but had not left his place in the 
line. Now, in this critical hour of the fight, he was smitten with 
musket balls while his last orun was beinof loaded. Staes^erine 
with his death-wounds, he still did not yield up his life at once. 
He pulled the lanyard, crying to his superior, General Webb, 
" I'll give them one more shot," and dropped dying to the ground, 
as the projectile sped forth on its mission of destruction right 
into the faces of the advancing Gonfederates, who were then 
almost at the mouth of the gun, at the very moment when Gen- 
eral Armistead, the foremost figure in the Gonfederate ranks, 
not far away from Gushing, had reached his utmost point of 
assault and fell down to the earth pierced with Union bullets. 

Just then a desperate act of gallantry was done by a Union 
staff officer. Lieutenant Haskell, of General Gibbon's staff, who 
saw the Union ranks wavering and about to give way at the 
point of contact between them and the Gonfederate troops. 
The lieutenant happened to be the only officer just at tliat mo- 
ment on horseback, all the other horses having been sent to the 
rear or hurt by the enemy's fire. Without hesitation, prompted 
by the emergency of the hour and fearing that the division was 
about to retreat or be driven back in confusion, he bravely rode 
forward, galloping between the two lines, waving his sword, urg- 
ing the Union lines forward again into the breastworks. His 




"I'LL GIVE THEM ONE MORE SHOT." 



GETTYSBURG— THE GREAT VICTORY. 345 

horse received many wounds and he was also hurt, but out of the 
storm of bullets he emerged at last with his life, having aided 
with singular skill and valor to steady the quivering Union line 
of battle. Meanwhile caissons are exploding; wounded, rider- 
less horses are galloping aimlessly to and fro ; rebel and Union 
troops are mixed up together, so that in the smoke and tumult 
one can hardly be distinguished from the other ; the generals 
— Hancock, Gibbon, Hays, Humphreys, and others — dismounted, 
and their aids also, are in the midst of the struggling masses ; 
bayonets, sabers, clubbed muskets, handspikes, are used in the 
dreadful fight, where twenty thousand men, bleeding, cursing, 
yelling, trodden under foot, climbing over the stone fence, using 
perchance their clinched fists when all other weapons are gone, 
are heaving, tossing, groaning, crying, under the stress and strain 
and upheaval of the fiery whirlpool which is devouring them. 

In front of the point where Jack was stationed was a gallant 
little Vermont brigade under Stannard. These Green Mountain 
boys were in their first battle, having but just joined the Army 
of the Potomac. Hitherto, for months, they had been drows- 
ing away their time behind the safe, quiet fortifications of 
Washington. As the rebels came upon Gibbon an unusual 
opportunity was aff'orded for a Union flank movement. Sud- 
denly the New England men heard the command shouted above 
the turmoil of the strife, " Second Vermont Brigade, change 
front, forward ! Double quick, march ! " As though they were 
on dress parade the brigade hastened to execute the orders, and 
with the coolness and precision of regimental drill they swung 
around against the rebel right, pouring forth at short range 
a destructive fire. Hundreds were shot down, yet on the des- 
perate rebels pressed to the very mouth of the cannon. The 
grimy cannoneers, their canister and grape now exhausted, sprang 
to the mouth of their o-uns and beat back the darinor and des- 



346 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

perate foe with rammer and sponge staff. Surely braver soldiers 
never breathed than those who charged across that plain and 
those who, with equal courage, beat back the men in gray. 

Confusion now appears to reign supreme in that seething 
mass of wrestling, screaming, bleeding, desperate men ; but amid 
it all the Union line finally emerges unbroken. Its defenders 
crowd together in ranks from four to ten deep; regimental organ- 
izations are dissolved, and officers of all grades are intermingled 
with privates, and no one can tell where one battalion ends 
and another begins, but they all stand firm throughout the 
whole line. The Confederates dash up against the Union men 
again and again, but all in vain; — they reel back into the plain, 
stunned, crestfallen, and defeated. They have done all that it is 
possible for martial courage and desperate valor to accomplish, 
but they cannot penetrate that line. The supreme effort of the 
Confederacy has been made, but it ends in rout, ruin, over- 
whelming and irretrievable disaster. Hancock's men are blaz- 
ing in their faces ; part of the First Corps is pouring a deadly 
fire into their flank ; three fourths of their number are lying in 
blood upon the ground ; their blow has recoiled with crushing 
force upon themselves. Hemmed in on every side — bayonets 
and batteries in front, musketry pouring a murderous fire into 
either flank — hundreds throw themselves upon the earth to es- 
cape the tempest of fire that sweeps the field. The unhappy 
remnant, wounded, bleeding at every pore, their cause lost, their 
hopes blighted, their generals dead or dying, their flags captured, 
their magnificent corps literally cut to pieces, go back again 
across the plain over which they had so eagerly and jubilantly 
marched an hour before, but now broken, discomfited, crushed, 
defeated. The battle is over, the issue of the war is decided, 
the victory has been won by the patient, long-tried, and at last 
triumphant Army of the Potomac ; victory, after the reverses on 



GETTYSBURG— THE GREAT VICTORY. 



347 



the peninsula, with its ditches and retreats and ineffectual valor ; 
after the shame of Bull Run and the disgrace of Chancellorsville, 
and the half-won battle of Antietam, and the dismay and havoc of 
Fredericksburg ; victory, that would send a tidal wave of dismay 
and terror throbbing to the utmost corner of the doomed Con- 
federacy, that would gladden the hearts of our prisoners in Libby 
and in Andersonville, that would assure other nations that the re- 
public was no bubble glittering for an hour, but a star of hope 
and promise kindled in the western sky with splendors that 
would last through time ; victory that would crown the names of 
Meade and of Gettysburg with undying renown ! 

With one glad impulse that victorious Army of the Potomac 
rose from their breastworks and sent out their glad rejoicings. 
The enemy had made his final attack and had failed. His cul- 
minating assault had resulted in his humiliation and defeat. 
Cheer after cheer arose from the triumphant boys in blue, echo- 
ing from Round Top, reechoing from Cemetery Hill, resounding 
in the vale below, and making the very heavens throb with the 
exultant cries, the jubilant and stormy shouts, of the victorious 
Army of the Potomac ! 




348 



WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 



CHAPTER XXI. 



AFTER THE BATTLE, 







HE battle was now over, but 
l^P^ nobody knew it ! The repulse 
of Pickett's charge was really 
the defeat of the Army of North- 
ern Virginia, but it required two 
days to make known that deci- 
sion. Until Monday morning, 
from Friday afternoon the two 
armies stood at bay, glaring like 
two wild beasts which had fought 
one another almost to death, 
watchinor for a stroke or a mo- 
tion, and listening for a growl 



'•^^^ L^'S^'i^^^^ ^^^'^^ might indicate a further con- 

f t y^X^^'^^'^ tinuance of the struggle. General 

y^ Meade hardly durst venture out against 
the Confederates after the defeat of Pickett, 
and General Lee was too weak to undertake any further move- 
ment except in retreat, unless he should be attacked. So the two 
armies waited for developments. 

The higher a bird Bies into the air the lower must be its 
descent back to the earth again. So the reaction and collapse 
occur after the wild excitement and tumult of the battle. In 
the engagement men are stirred up into madness, to the utmost 



AFTER THE BATTLE. 349 

fury; they are beside themselves in their frenzy. The awful 
noise of musketry and cannon, the swiftly moving cavalry, the 
charging hosts, the varying, shifting phases of the fight, with 
defeat or victory all the while trembling in the balances, 
wounds, blood, hurrahs, deaths, all together rouse the soul into 
a tempest, the like of which is unknown anywhere else. When 
the bloody work is done the descent of the soul into weak- 
ness, gloom, and despair is swift and sudden. 

There have been few such sights and circumstances as those 
amid which the two armies found themselves at Gettysburg when 
the fight was over on Friday afternoon, July 3, 1863. 

As Pickett's men reeled back across the plain some of the 
Union generals who saw the sight were in favor of pressing 
after the fleeing fugitives and crowding them into retreat and 
panic, if possible. Others said, " Not so ; we are not able to 
make such a venture. Let well enough alone. If we charge 
after them we are liable to be driven back again. We may en- 
danger our flank and lose what we have already gained. Wait 
and watch to see what the enemy intends to do." And this was 
the policy that Meade actually followed. 

Some cannon on either side kept up a scattered fire, and 
some of the Union troops pressed their line out toward that of 
the Confederates, in front of Round Top ; and after a bit of 
a skirmish the Confederates withdrew, retreating back to the 
Peach Orchard. 

By this time it was night, and thousands of men were lying 
unattended, scattered over the field, mingled with broken gun 
carriages, exploded caissons, hundreds of dead and dying horses, 
and other ghastly debris of the battlefield. At once the poor 
victims of shot and shell nearest our lines were brought in ; 
others farther out were in due time reached ; and the surgeons 
and nurses, all night long, and for days and nights after that 



350 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

night of horror, kept up their work of ministering to and caring 
for the wounded, of whom there were more than twenty thou- 
sand in our hands. 

It was possible, as night came on, to make a bit of a fire, 
here and there in the rear, and boil water for a cup of coffee, 
which was a boon to be grateful for. While the boys sat or lay 
on the ground, eating a bite of hard-tack and eagerly, in their 
hunger, devouring the succulent salt pork, which was about the 
only nourishment to be secured, relays of men with stretchers, 
and hundreds of others helping the wounded to walk to the 
rear, passed back and forth with their bloody freight ; now and 
then a groan or a suppressed shriek telling the story of suffering 
and heroic fortitude. 

" Listen, boys!" was the shout of one of Jack's men, as they 
lay on the ground near division headquarters that night. " The 
fight must be over — listen ! There is a band in the rear begin- 
ning to tune up. Surely that is a sign that the battle is done. 
If there was any sign of danger those musicians would not ven- 
ture back here." And while the boys kept up their humorous 
and sarcastic comments vcrsiis the trumpeters, the band had 
begun to play. It was a sight and a situation long to be 
remembered. The field was covered with the slain ; the full 
moon looked down with serene, unclouded, and softened luster 
on the field of Gettysburg, trodden down for miles by the two 
great armies ; surgeons were cutting off limbs, administering 
whisky, chloroform, and morphine to deaden pain ; hundreds 
of men were going back and forth from the fields, where the 
actual fighting had occurred, to the rear, with the mangled bodies 
of the wounded; and about a hundred thousand men — the sur- 
vivors who were left out of one hundred and sixty thousand in 
the two armies — were waitincr to see what would come on the 
morrow, when suddenly a band of music began to pla\' in the 



AFTER THE BATTLE. 351 

rear of the Union line of battle, down somewhere on the Taney- 
town road. One of the tenderest and most beautiful airs ever 
set to music was breathed from their instruments. Down the 
valley, and up the hill, and over the field, into the ears of 
wounded and dying men, and beyond our line into the bivouac 
of the beaten enemy the soft, gentle, and melting tune was 
borne on the evening breezes, already laden with the premon- 
itory mists of the approaching storm which, as usual, had been 
incited by the cannonade, disturbing the mysterious forces of 
the atmosphere and setting free the rain, now soon to drench 
the waiting troops. 

" Home, Sweet, Sweet Home," was the tender air that was 
breathed from the brazen instruments that evening. It brought 
visions of palmetto trees and orange groves and cotton fields 
and sunny southern skies to thousands of Confederates, dying 
in the hands of their foes ; it induced pictures of fertile prairies 
and pioneer cabins and glimpses of great lakes and a breath 
from the northern forest before the fast-glazing eye of hundreds 
of brawny men from Michigan and Wisconsin as it brought 
them under its magic spell; before the eyes of New Englanders, 
bleeding, exhausted, losing consciousness, drifting out into 
another world, it unfolded panoramic views of a rock-bound 
coast indented with picturesque harbors ; or a factory village 
with a busy stream babbling by its doors and in the distance 
the great old mountains ; and as it touched the memory of the 
wounded Bucktails from the northern boundary of the Keystone 
State they fancied themselves once more on the tops of the 
Alleghenies, hunting deer and bear, felling the trees, and clearing 
out new ground, in the intervals of their delirium. 

The next morning was the Fourth of July, but it seemed at 
the time to those who were at Gettysburg a somber and terrible 
national anniversary, with the indescribable horrors of the fields 



352 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

as yet hardly mitigated by the work of mercy, before the eye in 
every direction. The army did not know the extent of the vic- 
tory ; the nation did not reaHze as yet what had been done. 
The armies were still watching each other, although the Con- 
federates had withdrawn from the town of Gettysburg and con- 
centrated their troops on Seminary Ridge. The people in the 
village came out of their cellars and other places of refuge, and 
as the day broke upon them opened their doors. They had 
been under a reign of terror for over a week, ever since the 
alarm caused by the raid ten days before, indeed, when Early 
had passed through on his way to York. During the night they 
had suspected a movement of Lee's troops, for they had noted 
in their places of concealment occasional hurried sounds as of 
men, wagons, and cannon passing through the streets ; but 
whether these betokened withdrawal or preparations for another 
attack on the Union lines it was impossible for them to tell. 
Now, as they came out of doors, they cherished new hopes, for 
they could see no rebel soldiers. All had seemingly disappeared, 
except, now and then, indeed, a straggler hurrying away after 
his fellow-rebels toward the west, or hiding in an alley or out- 
house to escape further service in the "lost cause." It is almost 
daybreak, and some of the citizens venture to stand out on the 
pavements to watch for the development of events and note 
what is going to take place. They see a squad of men coming 
toward them down the main street from the south, bearing a 
banner. It is too dark at first to tell whether they wear the 
blue or the gray, whether the Confederates have returned to 
capture the place, or whether the boys in blue are advanc- 
ing from Cemetery Hill. The watchers hold their breath in 
suspense, until in a moment the dawning light reveals to 
their lonLnULr eves the fdorious fia^ which the advancing 
troops are carrying, the Stars and Stripes, torn with the marks 



AFTER THE BATTLE. 



353 



of battle, stained with blood, but wreathed and crowned with 
victory. 

On that very morning, the nation's birthday, the Fourth of 
July, 1863, while the troops of Meade planted their triumphant 
banner on the recaptured heights of Gettysburg a similar scene 
of victory was displayed a thousand miles away to the southwest. 




THE GLORIOUS FLAG. 



There, in front of beleaguered Vicksburg, a great chieftain had 
been encamped for months before the doomed city, grim, silent, 
relentless. Baffled in one direction, he had sought to find 
another avenue of approach, and now at last, after heroic as- 
saults and months of besiegement, he was waiting to receive 
the surrender of the army of Pemberton, which, starved into sub- 
mission, beaten, long ago hemmed in and surrounded, assailed 
by gunboats from the river and siege guns and lines of circum- 



354 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

vallation ever encroaching nearer and nearer upon them by land, 
was now about to march out of its captured fortress on the 
natal day of the Union, the glad Fourth of July. Grant, at 
Vicksburg, that glorious day, beheld twenty thousand prisoners, 
with vast stores of guns and appliances of war, become the prop- 
erty of the Union, while at the same hour, in the southern verge 
of the Keystone State, Meade rejoiced in the dawn of the glo- 
rious truth, which we receive now in all its fullness, that the 
victory of Gettysburg was the decisive battle of the war, deter- 
mining: that durinof the rest of the rebellion there would be no 
further invasion of the North, there would be no recognition of 
the Confederacy, there would be only a defensive warfare on the 
part of the South, until on every side the troops of the Union 
advanced to the center and crushed the Confederacy to pieces. 
Gettysburg and Vicksburg, the twin victories won by Meade and 
Grant, the one repelling invasion and deciding that final victory 
would surely come for the Union, and the other, in the graphic 
language of Lincoln, " allowing the Father of Waters to pass 
unvexed to the sea " — surely these were two great events for one 
day. The nation did not know of them, indeed, for several days 
afterward. It was not until Monday's dailies came out — Mon- 
day, July 6 — that the flaming headlines announced the news 
from Gettysburg : "The Great Victory — The Rebel Army Totally 
Defeated — Its Remains Driven into the Mountains — It is There 
Surrounded and Hemmed In — Its Retreat Across the Potomac 
River Cut Off — Twenty Thousand Prisoners Captured — A Great 
and Glorious Victory for the Potomac Army ! " Thus the New 
York Tribune gave the news to the world. On the following 
Wednesday, the 8th of July (the news had to be brought up to 
Cairo, 111., by boat, and sent thence by telegraph, which took 
several days), the same paper gave the following lines at the 
head of its news columns : " The Fall of Vicksburg ! — More 



AFTER THE BATTLE. 355 

Glorious News ! — Pemberton Surrenders — Bag, Baggage, Can- 
non, and Cattle — The Stronghold in Our Possession ! " 

Then what a frenzy of joy swept through the land, and in- 
spired our other armies in the field with new hope and fervor 
and zeal, which did not die out until peace finally came and 
settled down upon a reunited Union ! 

But, nevertheless, among the troops themselves that Fourth 
of July, 1863, at Gettysburg, was a wretched, dismal, and forebod- 
ing day, a day of uncertainty and suspense for both armies, which 
still faced each other. Each had thrown up fortifications and 
strengthened its line of defense, and was watching to find out 
what the other would do. Neither Meade nor Lee, just at that 
time, was anxious to bring about a renewal of the fight, and the 
time was occupied in caring for the wounded and burying the 
dead. A heavy rain storm set in about noon, which made 
the roads and fields in the course of a few hours a sea of 
mud. Without tents, with hardly shelter even for the wounded, 
of whom there were still thousands on the reekinof earth to 
be cared for, and amid the beating tempest that swept the whole 
region round about, the situation of the two armies was forlorn 
enough. 

At a pile of fence rails along the Taneytown road, by a 
flickering, sputtering camp fire, which was fighting in the face 
of the storm in order to maintain its right to burn, with a rubber 
blanket about him and in the midst of a dozen shivering, com- 
fortless, dilapidated, and rain-drenched men, stands Jack, trying 
bravely to keep up his spirits and cheer his merl. Word has 
just come in from the skirmish line that some sort of a move- 
ment is going on among the rebels. One of Berdan's sharp- 
shooters, with his familiar green uniform and his unerring rifle, 
worn out with four days of continuous service, night and day, 
along the left flank of our army, has just come in to get some 



356 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

rations for his comrades out on the front Hne beyond Round 
Top, where they are watching the operations of the Confed- 
erates. 

" Hello, what is the news out on the left ? " is the rallying 
question of one of the boys in blue by the bivouac. 

" We are watching the Johnnies with a sharp eye, and are 
tired to death with our task," was the answer of the sharp- 
shooter, as he stopped to warm his hands by the fire and ask for 
a bit of hard-tack and some " salt horse." While he eagerly 
munched his rations and rubbed his hands to start the circula- 
tion he was plied with a multitude of eager inquiries. 

" What is Lee going to do } Will Meade move out to attack 
him } Is the rebel army retreating.? Do you think the 'John- 
nies ' will get away from us now, and escape back to Virginia 
again } Are they trying to flank us } Have you any word from 
General Couch } Is it true that he is getting in on the rear of 
the rebels ? What are the orders for to-day ? " 

These questions, with scores of others equally pertinent, and 
some perhaps impertinent, were fired at the exhausted skirmisher 
in the intervals of his hungry bites at a meager luncheon until 
he was almost distracted. 

" Look here, boys," finally he exclaimed, " I am not a bureau 
of information, nor a committee on the conduct of the war, nor 
an authority on tactics and strategy, nor the commander in chief. 
I do not know what in blazes General Lee does intend to do. 
I hardly think he will attack u§ again after the repulse of yes- 
terday. He cannot flank us, for our cavalry has command of the 
roads off to our left, down toward Taneytown and Emmitsburg. 
But do not ask me any more questions ; I am so tired I do not 
want to think. I have been on the skirmish line near and in 
front of Round Top ever since Wednesday night, with hardly a 
wink of sleep, and I am just ready to drop ; but I must get some 



AFTER THE BATTLE. 357 

bread and meat and take it back to the boys out there or they 
will starve. Where is our commissary ? " 

" Down yonder in the valley to our rear," was the reply, and, 
in obedience to the direction, the weary skirmisher plodded his 
way through the mud and across the soaking meadows to the 
park of wagons where the commissary of subsistence had stored 
his rations for distribution. 

Then the boys began to wonder and talk and exercise their 
wits in the effort to solve the questions their quick and anxious 
brains had been springing on each other until orders came for 
further details to go out over the field and bring in the wounded 
and bury the dead. The day passed without any alarm or move- 
ment. All sorts of rumors, however, were flying here and there 
from mouth to mouth throughout the army. Everybody knew 
that the Confederates had drawn in their lines and had fortified 
their front very strongly along the Seminary Ridge. What they 
would finally do was only guesswork. 

When the day was over the soldiers, anxiously and in dis- 
comfort, lay once more on the soaking earth, trying almost in 
vain to keep up the smoldering fire at their bivouacs ; and 
then, when the night had gone and Sunday morning arrived, 
July 5, there was news indeed. Before daylight the rumors 
spread far and wide, and they were verified by advance of the 
skirmish lines all along our front, " The rebels have retreated 
back toward the Cumberland Valley ! " 

It is only a candid statement of the truth to say frankly that 
everybody was relieved when that fact was finally known. The 
enemy had withdrawn, the battle of Gettysburg was over, there 
would be no further struggle in the vicinity of the town nor on 
Pennsylvania soil. But what would be the issue of the cam- 
paign ? Would Lee get off without further harm } Would he 
be able to escape to Virginia } Would he be able to foil the 



358 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

Union commander and take his army back to the old stamping 
cfround without molestation ? 

Everybody asked these questions, but nobody could answer 
them. The Third Corps, to which Jack belonged, was the last 
to leave Gettysburg. Early on the morning of Sunday, July 5, 
the whole command was alert. A staff officer from corps head- 
quarters rode rapidly past where Jack was stationed, on his way 
to General Meade, with news that Birney's skirmishers had 
found the works in their front, on Seminary Ridge, vacated, and 
that, upon feeling their way westward they had discovered the 
enemy in force two or three miles out on the Fairfield road. 
This news might indicate that an attack was to be made, and 
the boys were in line at once. No further advance, however, 
was made that day by the Third Corps, although on all the 
roads leaving Gettysburg the other corps were seen marching 
with eager haste, it having been demonstrated that the rebels 
were retreating full tilt and anxious to get away as far as possi- 
ble from their antag^onist. 

Jack, with a comrade or two, secured permission to go into 
the town for a little while, and set off on a tour of explora- 
tion. The road leading into Gettysburg was covered with 
cast-off uniforms, broken artillery caissons, ruined muskets, and 
here and there a dead soldier, and with scores of dead horses, 
which indicated places where the batteries had made their 
gallant fight. The boys wondered whether much harm had 
been done to the houses and the people of the town during the 
battle. 

On their way down from the cemetery into the village they 
found a curious crowd assembled at a little house along the 
road, and on inquiry they discovered that a woman had been 
killed here. One of her friends stood at the door and told the 
story. Her name was Jennie Wade, and she was baking bread 



AFTER THE BATTLE 359 

for our men on the first day. During their retreat a musket ball 
came flying through the house, struck her, and she died without 
knowing what had happened. " She was a good, kind soul," was 
the tearful comment of the survivors. 

At the foot of the hill, where the houses of the town actually 
begin, the two skirmish lines had almost touched each other. 
Passing this point, the boys entered the village, which was a 
scene of confusion and wretchedness, nearly all large buildings, 
schoolhouses, churches, warehouses, barns, and other structures, 
besides the college halls, being occupied as hospitals. Near the 
entrance of the village the boys stopped to note the damage that 
had been done to a house by a solid shot which had come from 
a rebel cannon, lodged in the wall near the roof, and then fall- 
en down to the earth. An old gentleman was near, shaking his 
head in doubt at the condition of the building. " This is the 
Methodist parsonage, and the old parson got a hard fright when 
this shot struck his house, but nobody was hurt. I heard he had 
come down in the evening and secured the ball, and was going 
to have it plastered into the wall." 

Immediately opposite was a little girl pumping hard at an 
old pump to get a pitcher of water. The boys stopped to talk 
to her, and she prattled for a while until an old lady called to her 
to come in. " It was just awful when the rebels were in town. 
They fought right in front of our door, and we all had to go 
down cellar, but we could hear them, and we thought we should 
all be killed. Some of the bullets struck our house ; see there," 
she said, pointing to the impressions made on window shutter 
and wall by the flying minie balls, " and we were almost scared 
to death. Those ereat cannon almost deafened me. Three 
wounded men hid in our back yard, and one of 'em got into an 
old oven, and another got away up garret and stayed there till 
the fight was over. I heard the rebels shout,' Kill the Yankees;' 



360 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

'Surrender, lay down your arms!' and then the muskets went off 
like everything, and I thought we should all die." 

Just then a voice came from a neighboring house, " Tillie, 
hurry up with that water!" and the little girl vanished with her 
burden. 

In the Presbyterian church near the center of the town scores 
of Confederate and Union soldiers were found lying side by side. 
One of the nurses, a lady of the town, who had been caring for 
the wounded since the opening of the hght, in the intervals of her 
work found time to say a word to the boy and his comrades, this 
being" amoncf the incidents she told : " Dear me, how we have 
come through these days of danger and trouble I cannot tell 
now. Why, on Wednesday I thought we had our hands more 
than full when they brought in about fifty men and filled the 
church with cots and blankets. There were our own boys and 
rebels all mixed together, and they were all saying that there 
would be a worse fight next day. I just broke down, and I said, 
' Why, boys, what will we do with them } We cannot take care 
of them!' Then a Southern soldier said, ' O, you Lincoln 
women will have to tear up your dresses and make bandages for 
the wounded before this thing is ended ! ' And I turned to him, 
noted his gray uniform, put a spoonful of panada to his lips and 
said, 'Yes, we will do that very thing! We will tear up every 
dress we have to make bandages for dying men, whether they 
come from Massachusetts or South Carolina.' Another of his 
comrades then said, ' We whipped your men to-day, and to-mor- 
row we will drive them a-kiting toward Baltimore!' Well, I 
was not going to be beaten by a rebel, and so I said to him, just 
as bravely as I could, ' You do not know anything about it. You 
do not know what a strong position our army has, nor how many 
men we have, either!' And that man also huslicd up — but, la 
me, I did not know anything about it, either ; still I did not give 



AFTER THE BATTLE. 



3H1 



one inch to the Confederates ; but we cared for them just as 
kindly as we could." 

While Jack was exploring the town artillery fire was sud- 
denly heard toward the West, indicating that the troops of 
Meade had caught up with the fleeing foe and that another bat- 
tle might be on hand. The boy reluctantly turned back from 
his investigations in the town, which he had no opportunity to 
revisit for several years after the battle. Eight years afterward, 
however, in the turning of the wheels of destiny it happened to 
be his lot to be sent to Gettysburg as a Methodist itinerant, and 
his home was in the very house that had been damaged by the 
solid shot near our skirmish line ; and the road he took to his 
country appointments lay directly across the varying lines of 
battle in different directions, so that, for three years, Round Top, 
and Cemetery Hill, and Culp's Hill, and Seminary Ridge, and 
all the other points on the field became to him familiar as 
household words. 




3t)2 



WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 



CHAPTER XXII. 



BACK TO OLD VIRGINIA. 

HE Third Corps stayed at 
Gettysburg until July 7, and 
then marched to Emmits- 
burg, and thence by Fred- 
erick City across the old 
Antietam battle ground, not- 
incj the traces of the awful 
enofaofement that had taken 
place there less than a year 
before, in September, 1862, 
yet fresh and ghastly on 
every side ; and in the course 
of three or four days they 
found themselves in front of 
the rebels asfain near Wil- 
liamsport, Md. The other 
corps had marched by dif- 
ferent routes to the same point, and now the two armies were 
concentrated again, face to face. What would be the issue ? 

"Hurrah, boys!" shouted Sergeant McBride, after arriving at 
the meeting place of the two armies, " I've heard news for you. 
Our division commander, Gineral Humphreys, is goin' to lave 
us. Gineral Meade wants him to be his chief of staff, an' that 
is the ind of his lading this division as he did at Gettysburg." 




BACK TO OLD VIRGINIA. 363 

At this there "was a hubbub in the camp, for although Gen- 
eral Humphreys had not been with the division very long, yet 
he had led it with such skill and gallantry as to win entirely the 
esteem and confidence of both officers and men. A graduate of 
West Point, an officer of engineers of the very highest ability — 
afterward occupying, at the end of the war, for years the post of 
chief of engineers in the United States army — the soul of honor, 
a trained soldier, wise, scholarly, he proved himself one of the 
very best men in the field that the Union produced, and It was 
no wonder that General Meade wanted such a man in the im- 
portant and confidential place of chief of staff " Who is going 
to lead our division?" was the inquiry at once, and the words 
were hardly uttered before the new commander appeared, a 
gentleman in middle life, with a full iron-gray beard, stocky and 
well built, reserved, quiet, a West Pointer, a major and paymas- 
ter in the regular army ; this was the new division leader, Briga- 
dier General Henry Prince. "And there's more news yet," said 
Jack to the group that had hardly yet stopped their hurrahing 
for the outgoing and the incoming commander. " General Sick- 
les is gone, of course, to the hospital. Whether he will recover 
from that amputation of his leg or not no one can tell. But he 
has led his glorious Third Army Corps for the last time. He 
cannot serve again in the field with one leg, I reckon. General 
Birney is ranked by the commander of the new division that has 
just joined us. General W. H. French. By the way, there he 
goes now with his staff. He is going to be the corps com- 
mander of our corps. How do you think you will like to go into 
battle under him, boys.?" It was a question to be pondered. 
General French had a big, burly, pursy body, and a fat, red, 
weather-beaten face, and a habit of stuttering and winking very 
rapidly as he spoke, and altogether he did not exactly present 
to the boys that beau ideal of soldierly appearance that one 



364 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

might expect in a corps commander. Nobody knew how much 
liquor he drank, nor how much he could hold, but the red face 
that he carried was a suspicious-looking sign. Still he proved to 
be a gallant commander, and did effective service, although his 
habit was to " swear like a trooper." And, now that some new 
commanders have taken charge of their troops, and the two 
armies are facing one another, what of the issue } 

Four or five days were occupied at Williamsport, Md., on the 
brink of the Potomac, by the two armies, now and then a skir- 
mish taking place, each side strengthening its position, and, in 
turn, each one anxious, for a part of that time at least, that the 
other should attack. 

From July 9, until the morning of the 14th, the Army of 
the Potomac and the Army of Northern Virginia stood at bay, 
while the nation, on both sides of the bloody chasm, looked on 
with bated breath, wondering whether Lee would finally make 
good his escape into Virginia again, or whether he would be 
driven to the wall and forced to surrender. 

"Boys," said Jack at the bivouac, one night before "taps" 
had sounded, "did you hear the rebels cheer yesterday.'* It 
sounded like their old battle yell, and made the woods and the 
hills ring again. It echoed all along their line, and resounded 
from the sky. Who can guess what was the occasion of the 
cheering.?" 

" Maybe," said Sergeant McBride, " they have found a stray 
cow that has wandered off into their lines and have made soup 
for their fifty thousand gray-backs out of her carcass ; or per- 
haps they have heard the news from Vicksburg, and are glad to 
hear that the Mississippi River is free once more ; or maybe 
they are joost littin' on, and tryin' to git us to run our heads butt 
up against their breastworks. Who can tell what they were 
cheerin' about } " 



BACK TO OLD VIRGINIA. 865 

Just then one of the division staff, happening to pass along, 
was able to orive the information desired : " A deserter came in 
from the other side a while ago and told us that Lee had issued 
a proclamation cheering up his men, and urging them to do their 
best in the present crisis. His army cheered wildly when the 
order was read in their camps, and that was the noise of the 
shouting that we heard." 

" Let 'em holler as loud as they please," said one of the boys 
as the staff officer rode away. "All that we ask is to be let 
loose on the army of Lee ; we'll clean em out this time. We 
want to close up this trouble here on the banks of the Poto'mac, 
near Harper's Ferry, where the affair began with old John 
Brown's raid four or five years ago. For one, I do not wan<i 
to go ' traipsing ' back across this Potomac River again down 
into old Virginia. Boys, let us bring this matter to an end right 
here and now — that is my sentiment." 

Eagerly all about the bivouac fire there came instant re- 
sponses, " So say we all of us ; " " No more Virginia in mine ; " 
" Count me in too ;" " I'm with you, boys ;" and so on all round 
the circle of bronzed veterans in the intervals of smoking their 
corncob pipes and other like evening pastimes. 

The newspapers often represented the army as " spoiling for 
a fight." This writer never saw that description actually realized 
except at Williamsport, Md., on this occasion, when, the battle 
of Gettysburg over, the rebel army in retreat, the swollen Poto- 
mac in their rear, their pontoons swept away, their ammunition 
short, and with no reinforcements at hand, a final victory seemed 
to be within the reach of the Union forces. 

For five or six miles, in semicircular form, the lines of battle 
extended over a pleasant landscape, with nooks of woods and 
rolling pasture land and little bluffs now and then intervening. 
It was easily to be seen from the Union lines that with every 



366 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

hour of delay in making an attack the rebel lines were being 
strengthened, until, after three or four days of waiting, their 
position was a series of intrenchments — one little fortress after 
another crowning the hilltops, and each elevation occupied by 
artillery. If these positions were to be stormed it would be at 
great cost of life, but there surely would be no time afforded 
now for anything else. No siege work would do here. At the 
very first chance Lee would retreat, and what must be done 
needed to be done at once. The soldiers were eager, enthusias- 
tic, wild in their anxiety to be led against the Confederate in- 
trenchments and end the war on the banks of the Potomac. 

Everybody was kept on the qui vive of excitement, knowing 
that the battle might break out at any moment of the day or 
night, and knowing, furthermore, that when it did come it would 
be a desperate one, fairly rivaling the engagement at Gettysburg 
for bloodiness and intensity of purpose and heroic work. Now 
and then a bit of skirmish, a sharp sound of rattling musketry, 
a booming note, and a deep reverberation indicating that a can- 
non had been fired off would send a fresh thrill of expectation 
and excitement through the waiting armies. 

A rumor of a council of war pervaded official quarters one 
night. It was said that Meade had called his generals together 
to determine whether he should attack or not, and no one could 
tell what the results of the consultation might be. As the boys 
sat about the fire or paced to and fro along the picket line 
there was hardly a doubter or a faint-hearted one among them. 
All were this time " in fighting trim," eager to advance. The 
voice of every man was for war, and each soldier, in view of 
what might be done by an immediate, urgent, heroic attack, said 
in his heart or in liis talk with his comrades, " O for some one 
to order us forward —to lead us on ! This is the hour to strike ; 
this is the time to defeat the enemy for good and all ; this is 



BACK TO OLD VIRGINIA. 367 

the very place to make him surrender. He is hemmed in, he 
is out of ammunition, the river has swept away his bridges, he 
cannot evade an attack, he must surrender. O for some one to 
say, ' Forward, boys ! '" At last it was noised along our line, 
" Boys, we are to attack in the morning ! Be ready, with plenty 
of ammunition, bright and early. Sleep on your arms to-night, 
and be ready to advance at seven." 

Now, at last, it really seemed as though the final hour of 
decision, of attack, of victory, was near. With its approach, 
however, came rain that dampened everything, even the ardor 
of the eager soldiers, who tried to keep their cartridges dry 
and get a little sleep in view of the advance and battle to begin 
in the early morning. 

In the morning the men began to press forward, expecting 
— what ? Nobody knows now exactly what they expected, but 
they found all along the intrenchments only deserted rifle pits 
and empty lines of fortification. " Look out for an ambush," 
said some of the cautious commanders. " They are drawing us 
on ! " And so, slowly and cautiously, the troops moved ahead, 
until the news was announced, " The rebels have escaped. 
They have crossed the Potomac again. Kilpatrick has captured 
some of their rear guard and taken a few of their guns, but they 
have repaired their bridges, crossed in the night, and are safe 
back in old Virginia again ! " 

What a disappointment that was! The men who were eager 
to end the war at Williamsport, to bring the rebellion to a close 
on the banks of the Potomac, well knew what this news meant 
— long and weary marches through the dusty roads and barren, 
smitten fields of Virginia ; siege and charge and camp fire and 
campaigns, and long months, perhaps years, of fighting, before 
the war should be brougfht to an end. 

It seemed as though a great opportunity had been thrown 



368 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

away ; but, looking at the case from this end of the vista of 
time, we may conjecture that the hand of God was in the series 
of events that sent the two armies back into Virginia again. If 
the war had been ended just after Gettysburg by the surrender of 
Lee's army, the Confederacy would have fallen, possibly, without 
the destruction of slavery. There would have been compromise 
on that, and on other questions perhaps, that were settled finally 
at Appomattox. It was well that the war continued until it had 
wrought its perfect mission. 

In a day or two the Third Corps advanced across the river, 
with the rest of the Army of the Potomac, after Lee, on pon- 
toons at Harper's Ferry. They saw the old armory where John 
Brown had been besieged, where the war began, and where that 
old crazy hero who loved the souls of men and was an enemy 
of human slavery sought to bring the system of bondage in 
America to an end. The boys saw the place where the old man, 
wounded, at bay, a strange mixture of tenderness and heroic 
firmness in his nature, wnth his little band set at defiance the 
State of Virginia, and with a handful of followers undertook to 
set all the slaves of the South free. Now the soldiers from the 
great, united, loyal North, singing, 

" John Brown's body lies a-moldering in the grave, 
His soul is marching on," 

were crossing the same river and marching through the same 
town against the upholders, adherents, and defenders of the Con- 
federacy which he foresaw and tried to obviate — the friends of 
the system of bondage, which he tried to destroy, now in re- 
treat, and the boys in blue in full pursuit of them. 

One day, soon after crossing back into Virginia, the army, 
going through one of the beautiful valleys of the Blue Ridge, 
came upon a great vale overgrown with blackberry bushes, 
which were covered with luxuriant fruit, ready to drop at a 



BACK TO OLD VIRGINIA. 369 

touch. The inhabitants had been lone a^o driven out of this 
region, and the rebel army had not used this road of late. Such 
a sight was too tempting to be withstood. What mattered it if 
other troops were pressing on behind — what if the rebels were to 
be headed off yonder in the valley of the Shenandoah, and the 
hosts of Lee were to be intercepted.? Here were hungry soldiers, 
and here, also, were great acres of rich, tempting, luscious black- 
berries ! At once the boys spread out as skirmishers all over that 
valley, far and wide. All thought or care for discipline, com- 
mander in chief, batteries in the front or rear, wagon trains im- 
peded, and all other vicissitudes were scattered to the winds 
(only there were no winds on that hot July day) ; and the sol- 
diers began feasting on blackberries. 

" Can you tell me," said Sergeant McBride, " why this is like 
an African funeral } " 

"No," said Corporal Jones, "I give it up;" and he crowded 
down his throat a handful of berries, and reached out to eather 
more. 

" Why, do ye not see, it is a black-berrying expedition, d'ye 
mind now } " replied the merry sergeant while plucking and eat- 
ing as fast as he could. 

Meanwhile, in the rear, other troops were crowding on. The 
road in front was clear, and this halt on the part of Prince's 
division had impeded things all along the line. There came a 
hurrah from the rear, " Those greedy Third Corps men are 
stealing all the blackberries and leaving none for us." And 
there was a fierce yell from thousands of hungry throats. The 
general ordered the bugles to sound " Forward," but the men 
kept on eating. Nobody stirred. Even the officers had dis- 
mounted and were eating their fill of berries. Men with faces 
smeared with berry-juice, gorging themselves with ripe, deli- 
cious fruit, were to be seen to the number of three or four thou- 



370 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

sand. At last it became a question how to start them. " Lieu- 
tenant Sanderson, you have command of the rear guard, have 
you not?" Jack repHed by lifting his hat to General Prince, 
the division commander, who had asked the question. " Where 
are they.'^" "Here, picking berries." "Get them into line at 
once ! " Jack succeeded in doing so with some difficulty. " Now," 
said the general, " deploy them in the rear, order them to fix 
bayonets, and close up ranks with speed." Jack spurred his 
horse forward, gave the order, and soon had his men in position. 
Then came the tug of war. " Forward, men ! " was the cry. 
" We are not through eating yet." " That makes no difference, 
'Forward!' is the order! Other men are waiting behind us to 
crowd through this valley. You must go on." Still nobody 
moved. "Provost guard, fix bayonets — charge!" was the com- 
mand. And in among that scattered division of blackberry pick- 
ers the provost guard walked, bayonets at a charge, and slowly,, 
sadly, and at last successfully, the blackberry patch was cleared. 

One of the most picturesque and vivid scenes recalled by 
the boy is connected with the pursuit of Lee by the Army of 
the Potomac, after Gettysburg. A race took place between the 
two armies in their efforts to reach and command the mountain, 
passes.. Meade was trying to cut his antagonist's forces in two,, 
and Lee was striving to get back to his old position, if possible,, 
without a battle. In this race the Third Army Corps, under 
French, was in the advance, and as it entered the pass in the 
mountains called Chester Gap, it found before it, splendidly 
arrayed, on a high hill commanding the neighborhood, a portion 
of the Confederate army. The battle of Wapping Heights en- 
sued, if the struggle, brief and brilliant while it lasted, can be 
called a battle, rather than a skirmish. A deep valley separated 
the two forces, and in this valley the struggle took place. On 
that sunshiny afternoon of July 23, Jack looked on a glorious 



BACK TO OLD VIRGINIA. 371 

picture. Far away in the distance was the Shenandoah Valley, 
opening out in its beauty, with wagon trains and glimpses of 
troops belonging to the enemy, to be seen by means of the glass. 
To the rear, looking back toward Washington, one might 
see Union troops by the thousand, artillery, cavalry, and infan- 
try intermingled, pressing forward into the Gap. French, find- 
ing that the enemy was in his front, ordered a line of skirmish- 
ers forward, and, as they deployed, the Second Division, to which 
Jack belonged, formed line of battle. From where Jack was 
posted he saw every movement down the valley, once in a while 
carrying an order and cooperating in the work. On the farther 
slope of the hill he could see the marching columns of the Con- 
federates forming into line and getting ready for the battle. 
Finally all was ready, and the rattling fire of the skirmishers 
opened out in the front. Then the batteries began to play, and 
then the infantry marched into the battle with shouts and hur- 
rahs and stunning volleys of musketry. The whole scene, in 
which twenty thousand men, perhaps, were engaged, was laid out 
before the eyes with panoramic distinctness and beauty. Per- 
haps there was not an occasion during the war where the para- 
phernalia and machinery of battle on both sides were so clearly 
outlined and magnificently defined as in this little battle of 
Wapping Heights, which amounted to nothing in its results, 
however, for when the next morning came. Lee had taken his 
army and vanished. But that little battle of two or three hours, 
on the hills of Wapping Heights, in which the foe was dislodged 
and driven from his works, was one of the most striking, thrilling 
minor scenes of the war. After that incident the army settled 
down for a rest on the Rappahannock, no special event exciting 
it for weeks, both sides rejoicing, perhaps, at the opportunity for 
rest and recuperation. 

One day an officer of the staff said to Jack, " Lieutenant, let 



372 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

us ride over to the Fifth Corps and see the execution that is to 
take place. Five deserters are to be shot, and about twenty- 
five thousand men are to witness the sight, for the sake of the 
effect it may produce on the army at large." 

In accordance with the invitation the two set off on horse- 
back across the country to the camping ground of the Fifth 
Corps. They soon found that officers from all the army corps 
were in large numbers riding also in that direction, and by the 
time they reached the ground the region was covered with a 
brilliant array. From all directions the various divisions of the 
Fifth Army Corps were assembling. It was a queer mixture of 
a holiday and an execution ; bands were playing, soldiers were 
gayly marching, riders were galloping in all directions, the focus 
of all eyes being a single spot, carefully guarded by a line of sen- 
tries, where all could discern an open grave, five ghastly-looking 
coffins, and the same number of forlorn-looking, depressed, de- 
spairing men who were to be executed for the crime of desertion. 

"Who are these poor fellows.'*" was the inquiry of Jack, as 
he saw the parade organized, the sad procession begin its dismal 
march, the prisoners with their coffins borne in advance of them, 
the bands playing a dirge, and three ministers accompanying the 
men who were to die. 

" They are all foreigners," was the reply of some one who 
stood near. "Three are Prussians and two are from Italy. They 
are hard cases, all of them, and it seems that they have been 
singled out as victims, to convey a needed lesson to tlie army 
that desertion must be stopped. They are vicarious sufferers, 
if we may use that expression, who are dying as a sort of 
object lesson, to warn the Army of the Potomac that this crime 
must come to an end." 

"Probably they are not the worst of deserters; men worse than 
they are have got safely away and have pocketed bounty after 



BACK TO OLD VIRGINIA. 373 

bounty in their offense against the army and the country, de- 
serting again and again. They are victims of circumstances. It 
is a pity to have to shoot them for the sake of making an ex- 
ample and a spectacle out of them." 

By this time the parade was ended. The procession had 
passed in front of the whole corps, had been seen by every 
soldier, and now the priests, the doomed men, and their guards 
with the coffins had arrived at the spot where the execution was 
to take place. 

" What is delaying them now } " said Jack, as he saw some 
disturbance or sign of friction in the little crowd of people at 
the grave-side. " Let us go and see." And they pressed near 
to find out what was going on. They found there a Protestant 
minister. Chaplain O'Neil, of one of the Pennsylvania regiments, 
and a Catholic priest in full canonicals, and a Hebrew rabbi, 
attending the unfortunate men. A dispute had arisen between 
the rabbi and the priest as to which should lead off in the serv- 
ice. The priest claimed that his was the rightful privilege to 
precede, as his was the true Church, and the rabbi made the 
same claim because his was the oldest and primitive religion. 
The rabbi finally was allowed precedence, and then brief serv- 
ices were held, the consolations of relio-ion beinof administered. 
A detachment of fifty soldiers, with muskets, was drawn up in line 
before the poor victims as they sat on their coffins, and ten men 
were assigned to each one of the prisoners. One gun in each 
set of ten was loaded only with a blank cartridge, so that no 
man would know whether his own particular gun contained a 
bullet or not. The rabbi recited passages from the Psalms in 
Hebrew, and his disciples repeated them after him ; the Catho- 
lics kneeled before the priest to receive absolution, and then sat 
down on their coffins ; the Protestant chaplain prayed with his 
friend and whispered a word of cheer into his ear. Then the 



87-i WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

captain in charge of the shooting squad spoke in a low, agitated 
voice to his men, " Ready — aim — fire ! " Like the shot of a sin- 
gle gun the fifty muskets sent forth their explosion, the five de- 
serters fell dead, and the tragedy was over. 

During that season of August-October, 1863, Meade and 
Lee made a number of marches and countermarches, each one 
seeking to outgeneral the other. An incident took place that 
claims record, during the retreat of Meade from the Rappahan- 
nock. A day or two after the troops had reached the outer cir- 
cle of the fortifications of Washington, Jack was in his tent one 
sultry afternoon quietly resting, and glancing at the late daily 
papers which had just come in. Hearing a rap on the tent- 
pole, he looked up and saw one of his men who had been, since 
morning, out on the picket line, not far away, standing in front 
of the tent with a seedy-looking individual in farmer costume in 
custody. In answer to Jack's look of inquiry the guard replied: 

" Lieutenant Sanderson, we found this man trying to get 
through the picket line, and the colonel in command out there 
sent him in as a suspicious character under arrest." 

" Have you searched him ?" said Jack. 

" We went through his pockets and clothing, but did not find 
anything except a very small bit of tobacco," was the answer of 
the picket. 

" Did he make any resistance ? " 

" None at all. He has been very quiet, and came right 
along without any trouble." 

"Was he armed?" 

" No," was the reply ; " he had no weapons and made no re- 
sistance. He said he lived just outside of the lines, and that 
he had been at a neighbor's whose family had been sick and was 
away from home when our forces fell back inside the fortifica- 
tions and was only on his way home." 



BACK TO OLD VIRGINIA. 



375 



" All right ; here is a receipt for the prisoner. You can go 
back to the picket line, and I will send the man on to corps 
headquarters," said Jack, as he summoned another of the provost 
guard and wrote a line to the assistant provost marshal general 
of the corps. When the note was written Jack took a good 
look at the prisoner. He was a lithe, angular specimen, with 
tawny beard, dark eyes, and weather-beaten complexion ; a very 




JACK TOOK A GOOD LOOK AT THE PRISONER. 

innocent-looking farmer, sure enough, he appeared to be. Jack 
cross-questioned him keenly, but found out nothing suspicious. 
The man had been caring for a sick neighbor, had been away 
from home for a week, did not know of the army's presence till 
he found himself inside the lines, and in his anxiety to get home 
he was simply trying to pass through at a point where the line was 
very thin, and was taken prisoner. That seemed all there was 



376 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

of It, and Jack finally sent the prisoner with a guard to corps 
headquarters, half a mile away, and settled back to read the 
papers again. He had not gone very far in his reading when he 
heard a musket shot followed by another, and then some excited 
shouts, and then he saw a number of soldiers run down the road 
which had been taken by the guard and his prisoner a few min- 
utes before. Jack saw that there was trouble of some kind 
threatening, and, picking up his revolver and starting out, he 
soon met the guard returning without the prisoner. 

" Where's your prisoner ?" said Jack. 

" Why, lieutenant," said the soldier, gasping and breathless, 
"as soon as we reached that piece of woods the man leaped like 
a deer into the thicket and vanished from siofht. I fired after 
him and hit him, I thought, but he did not stop. I followed, 
loading as I ran, and fired again, but the man was gone ! " 

" Send out word in all directions ; detail a hundred men to 
beat the bushes and go through the woods and find him ; he 
must not be allowed to get away ! " was the instant order of 
the boy. The commands were at once obeyed, and the region 
was scoured in all directions ; word was sent to the pickets for 
miles around warning them of the matter, and every house in 
the neighborhood was searched — all in vain. No man was 
found, and the disappearance of this prisoner so suddenly and 
inexplicably seemed forever relegated to the long list of " mys- 
terious disappearances," 

There was a sequel to the story, however. A few weeks later 
the Third Corps was in camp on the estate of the Hon. John 
Minor Botts in Culpeper County, Va. — a camping place occu- 
pied successively by both armies as they swept back and forth 
across the wasted plains of that region. Mr. Botts was a South- 
ern Union man who had been, in Congress and in political life 
in his State, and indeed in the nation, a conspicuous figure in 



BACK TO OLD VIRGINIA. ■ 377 

Other years. Through the desperate struggle he remained at 
home on his farm, which was trodden down by each army in 
turn, and here he met and was famiharwith the leading generals 
in the Union and Confederate forces. Soon after the Union 
army had advanced again to the neighborhood of the Rappahan- 
nock, and the division of General Prince, at whose headquarters 
Jack was now serving, had encamped on Mr. Botts's place, one 
day the general and several members of his staff and some of 
the Virginian's family were enjoying themselves in the grassy 
yard, under the shade of the big trees, when Mr. Botts said : 

" General Prince, one of your old friends in the rebel ranks, 
General Ewell, was with us in familiar intercourse last week. He 
had his headquarters just where your tents are erected, and was 
in good spirits over the fright which he said the Army of 
Northern Virginia had given Meade when your forces retreated 
under the cover of the fortifications of Washington." 

" Perhaps General Ewell may not be able to see the funny 
side of this campaign when we get through with it," said Gen- 
eral Prince in reply. " I do not wonder, however, that he did 
enjoy our retreat. I do not know anybody in the army who 
does understand the philosophy of that movement, except, per- 
haps. General Meade. It is one of those strategical movements 
whose significance is not apparent to the ordinary mind !" 

" General Ewell," continued Mr. Botts, " was not all laughter, 
however, while he was here. He said that he had experienced 
a loss equal to that of a whole regiment in the death of a single 
man during the campaign, one of his secret service men, a scout 
of remarkable daring and skill, who was shot in your lines and 
who soon afterward died." 

" What were the circumstances ? Tell us the story," said 
several voices at once, as every ear was attent. 

"In brief," said the Virginian, " General Ewell said that he had 



378 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

in his employ one of the most skillful spies and scouts in the 
whole Southern army, a man who spent a good part of his time 
inside the Union lines, and who seemed to be able to deceive the 
very elect, going back and forth almost at will without detection. 
He had access, by some means, occasionally to the War Depart- 
ment, got on the track of pending legislation in Congress, secured 
the earliest information concerning the movement of troops, gave 
the Confederates the names and membership of the new regi- 
ments, and, in a word, kept them supplied with the very latest 
news from the inside of the Union lines. ' During the early 
movements of our late campaign,' General Ewell said, ' this 
scout, Harry Anderson, was in Washington City getting informa- 
tion for us. He had made a circuit of inspection of the whole 
line of Union fortifications, had noted the best points for an at- 
tack, had found out the positions of the troops, and was loaded 
down with information that would have been invaluable to us. 
In his eaeerness to eet back to me and sfive me the news he 
ventured to pass through the Union lines in daytime dressed 
as a farmer, under pretense that he wished to go to his home 
just outside the Federal picket station. He told the story that 
he had been caring for a sick neighbor, had been absent from 
home when the Union army suddenly had appeared in the vicin- 
ity, and he had found himself shut out by the picket guards 
from his own house. He was arrested at the picket line, and 
while being taken from one camp to another for safe-keeping 
he broke away from the guard who had him in charge and ran 
into the woods in the hope of escaping. The guard fired at him 
and wounded him severely, but he kept on running until he 
reached a cave which he had used a good many times before in 
the woods. At night he managed to creep out of his place of 
refuge and crawled to the home of a Southern man close by, where 
his wounds were dressed and where he died in a few hours. As 



BACK TO OLD VIRGINIA. 



379 



soon as the army moved away from that region the friend at 
whose house Harry died ventured by a roundabout course into 
our lines, and came to my headquarters to give me Harry's dying 
message. The poor fellow only regretted that he had not been 
able to reach me with the news he had in mind before we fell 
back to the Rappahannock.' General Ewell," said Mr. Botts, 
*' could hardly keep back the tears as he finished his story, and 
said, ' I could better have afforded to lose the best regiment in 
my corps than to have lost Harry Anderson, the best scout in 
the Southern army.' " 

Jack had listened closely to the story, and now could hardly 
contain himself as he broke out, " That was the very man we 
captured inside the lines at Centerville the day after we reached 
there. We had that very scout in our hands and under guard, 
and while he was being taken to corps headquarters he ' broke 
and ran,' and although a hundred men were ordered out in 
search of him, yet not a trace of him could be found except an 
occasional clot of blood, showing that he had been wounded. 
It seemed as if the very ground had opened to swallow him up, 
and that, it appears now, was really the case, for he hid, like 
•David in Bible times, in a cave. That man, then, was Harry 
Anderson, the scout of General Ewell. What a prize we had, 
and did not know it ! " 




■'^^ 



380 



WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 



STAFF DUTY IN WASHINGTON. 



"^ HE Army of the Potomac was 
back agam m its laminar tramp- 
/ ing ground along the Rappa- 
hannock, and the winter was 
near. The roads were begin- 
ning to become difficult for teams, 
and the outlook seemed to be that 
no movement would take place again, 
in force, until spring. Jack was think- 
ing what sort of a shelter he would 
erect for winter quarters when he was 
one day summoned into the presence 
of General Prince, where he found 
that officer and Major Charles Ham- 
lin, the assistant adjutant general of 
the division, in conversation. After 
the usual salutations had been ex- 
changed Major Hamlin said, " LieU' 
tenant Sanderson, here is a document that concerns you ; it 
comes from the War Department, and is a serious matter." As 
the officer spoke he assumed a grave expression and held the 
official paper in his hand, as though he feared to unfold its con- 
tents to the anxious boy, who began to wonder what he had 
been doing, and to rummage through his memories of the past, 




STAFF DUTY IN WASHINGTON. 381 

seeking for some possible ground for interference with his affairs 
on the part of the War Office at Washington. He did not recall 
any delinquency that would justify dismissal from the service or 
court martial inquiry, or any other matter that would in reason 
account for a document from army headquarters in which he 
might be personally interested. At last Major Hamlin handed 
Jack the paper, laughing as he did so, and exclaiming, " It is 
not so serious a matter, after all ; you need not be afraid to 
read it." 

The boy now took the paper and with eager eyes perused 
it, holding his breath meanwhile, and wondering whether he was 
dreaming or awake. The paper was covered with indorsements, 
in military fashion, having been referred from one commander to 
another, from the War Department at Washington, through Gen- 
eral Meade's headquarters, down to the commanding officer of the 
Eighty-fourth Pennsylvania Volunteers, Jack's regiment. The 
document, in brief, was an application from Major General 
Casey, at Washington, for the assignment of Lieutenant Jack 
Sanderson to serve as the recorder for the board of examiners, 
of which the general was president, and which was engaged in 
examining applicants for commissions among the colored troops, 
which the government had then but lately begun to muster into 
its service. Secretary Stanton had referred the application to 
General Meade, and that officer had referred it to General 
French, commanding the Third Corps, and thence it had been 
referred down to Colonel Opp, then in command of the regiment. 
Colonel Opp had replied, speaking in cordial words of the boy's 
standing as an officer, saying that there were already two officers 
with the company to which he belonged — a number which in the 
depleted condition of the regiment was sufficient — and that he 
would not interpose any objection to this proposed assignment. 
Now the paper had come back to General Prince for his action 



382 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

in the case. He said, " Lieutenant, would you like to spend the 
winter in Washington ? " 

Jack's eyes brightened as he replied, " Of course I would if 
I thought it was the right thing to do. I do not like to go away 
from the front, however, if there is going to be anything to do 
here." 

The general laughed at this, and said, " My boy, you need 
not hesitate on that account. There is not an officer that I 
know of who would not be glad of such an opportunity just now. 
There may be nothing but picket duty to attend to here for 
months to come; and while I shall regret to spare you from your 
post at my headquarters, yet, if I were at your age and had the 
chance to enter upon staff duty with an officer as illustrious as 
General Casey, and in such a post as he offers you, I would 
accept it without question and at once. It is a great opportu- 
nity, and if you are desirous of accepting the place I will recom- 
mend it and say that you will ' fill the bill' " 

Major Hamlin joined in at this point, and said, " I would be 
glad, if I could get away for a few months, to spend the winter 
in Washington, and my counsel also would be. Accept the post 
instantery 

With this counsel Jack needed no further urging, and Gen- 
eral Prince forwarded the document back to army headquarters 
with the recommendation that the detail be made. In a few 
days the assignment came. The boy hardly knew whether 
to laugh or cry. It seemed like breaking up his home to leave 
his comrades in the field and betake himself to Washington for 
duty there — almost like " playing soldier." Hut he packed up 
his baggage — a work which at that time did not require much 
time — paid his respects to the officers at division headquarters, 
where he had been on duty for six months, said good-bye to his 
friends in the Eighty-fourth, took the train at Brandy Station, 



STAFF DUTY IN WASHINGTON. 38a 

and In a few hours was in the city of Washington. Here, after 
making himself presentable, he reported for duty to Major Gen- 
eral Casey. He found half a dozen noble-looking officers — all 
of them veterans, men of courage and experience — engaged in 
the work of examining candidates. The boy saw that his youth- 
ful appearance placed him in strong contrast with everybody 
else on the board of examiners, for he was not yet out of his 
teens, and almost literally a beardless youth. But he soon ascer- 
tained that his work of keeping the records of the board required 
only promptness, accuracy, courtesy, and application, and he set- 
tled down to his task with assiduous devotion. General Casey 
was the author of the System of Infantry Tactics then in use in 
the army, had been from his youth a skillful soldier, having 
served more than forty years in the army, and seen service in 
Mexico, in California, and in all sections of the land, besides 
displaying great courage and skill in command of his divi- 
sion at Fair Oaks, in 1862, on the peninsula. He was now in 
command of the camps of organization for recruits in the vicin- 
ity of Washington and at the head of the examining board 
already referred to. The work of this board had become so 
large that it was now necessary to divide it into two sections,, 
and Jack, at the suggestion of a friend on the board, had been 
asked for as one of the recorders. Major E. P. Halstead, who 
had seen two years in active service at the front, being the 
other one. 

Soon after assignment to duty here General Casey promoted 
Jack to the additional office of aid-de-camp ; and as this assign- 
ment gave him a horse and afforded him ingress and egress 
within the fortifications of the capital on both sides of the Po- 
tomac, by night and day, and brought him in contact with many 
leading officers, the added honors and emoluments were heartily 
welcomed. As it happened. Jack was kept on duty with General 



384 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

Casey almost till the close of the war, now taking troops to the 
front, now conducting them to New York to be shipped to the 
South by sea, and meanwhile conducting correspondence, keep- 
ing the records of the board, and performing the usual service 
of a staff officer. Some of the pictures indelibly fixed in his 
memory during this closing period of the conflict may be re- 
corded here. 

One of them is the advent of General Grant into Washington 
City early in March, 1864. One day it was announced that the 
newly appointed general in chief of the armies would arrive in 
the Capitol that afternoon, and would be at President Lincoln's 
reception, at the White House, in the evening. Jack and a friend 
agreed to attend, but when they arrived at the Executive Man- 
sion they found thousands of people exactly of their state of mind 
surging about the entrance, barricading the sidewalks, and striv- 
ing to gain access to the place. With some difficulty the two 
made their way through the crowd, found ingress by favor of a 
friend at court through a side door, and had a chance to look 
about them for a little while. Here were senators and members 
of the House and scores of officers in uniform. The most ele- 
gantly dressed officer present that evening was not a general, it 
was noticed, but a second lieutenant of the newly organized In- 
valid Corps, whose light blue uniform and gorgeous sash and 
gold epaulets and dashing, self-conscious air made him a center 
of observation, if not of attraction. President and Mrs. Lincoln, 
in the midst of a crowd of friends and various celebrities, were 
engaged for an hour in receiving the multitude before the par- 
ticular guest of the evening appeared. The President had a 
kindly greeting for everybody, but appeared tired and preoccu- 
pied ; there were lines of suffering on his furrowed face, and his 
eyes at times seemed to be fixed on objects outside the crowd, 
as though he were noting far away lines of battle, watching troops 



STAFF DUTY IN WASHINGTON. 385 

marshaling for an advance or lying wounded and dying on the 
held. It was a notable privilege for the boy as he passed on 
with the crowd to take the hand of Mr. Lincoln and to look for 
a moment into his kindly eyes. A little before ten o'clock there 
was a thrill of excitement which vibrated through the densely 
crowded rooms, where many hundreds were jammed together. 
There was a shout from the corridor, " Hurrah for General 
Grant !" and a rush toward him which almost took him off his 
feet. President Lincoln pressed toward him in the throng and 
greeted him with great cordiality, finding him accompanied by 
several military officers and escorted by Secretary Seward. The 
multitude cheered, waved their handkerchiefs, strove all at once 
to oret a si^ht of the creneral, tried to reach him in order to greet 
him, and for a little space there was danger of suffocation to 
everybody. At last Secretary Stanton, President Lincoln, and 
Secretary Seward pushed, hauled, pressed, and struggled with 
the terrific crowd, which was almost a mob, until they transferred 
General Grant to one side of the orreat East Roomi, where the 
general mounted a sofa and reached out both hands helplessly 
to the people. His face was pale, his cheeks were blanched, his 
speech was gone; he had not a word to say. During the war, up 
to this date, he had been at the front with his army, and no 
popular ovation had been rendered to him. He was not pre- 
pared for any such reception. He trembled with timidity, and 
seemed literally scared out of his senses. For half an hour he 
stood on the sofa the helpless victim of popular favor, while 
Secretary Seward sat on the back of the sofa, his eyes twinkling 
with suppressed merriment, the bushy eyebrows underneath his 
splendid forehead fairly shaking with his sense of the ludicrous- 
ness of the scene. The people called out, " Speech ! Speech ! 
Grant ! Grant ! " But all in vain ; not a word could be extorted 
from the silent man. His reticence stood the strain and came 

25 



386 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

off conqueror. All who could touch his hand with a tip of a 
finger went away that night rejoicing that they had shaken hands 
with the new general in chief of the armies of the United 
States. 

A few weeks after this reception Grant began his Wilder- 
ness campaign, and the whole land waited in untold agony for 
tidings from the front. After days of suspense and conflicting 
news — nothing being certain but that the most terrific struggle 
yet known was going on in the dense thickets beyond the Rap- 
pahannock — came the word of cheer which gave hope and assur- 
ance of victory to the world, the dispatch from Grant, " I propose 
to fight it out on this line if it takes all summer." From that 
utterance the nation knew that the end was assured, if not nigh ; 
and that there could be but one way for the war to close — with 
the Union restored and slavery dead. 

Among the items that came from the front was one that 
filled the boy's heart with deepest sorrow, the news that Lieuten- 
ant Colonel Milton Opp, in command of the Eighty-fourth Penn- 
sylvania, had been fatally wounded and had died from the effects 
of the injury. He was one of the noblest soldiers in the army, 
a man of scholarship, devotion, sympathy, with a singular mixture 
of chivalrous courage and womanly tenderness in his make-up. 
Jack went down and searched the embalming establishments of 
the city to see if he might be able to find the body of his be- 
loved commander. That sight he can never forget. Scores, 
nay, hundreds, of dead officers and men from the front had been 
forwarded to be cared for and sent on to their homes in the 
North. Jack failed to find Colonel Opp's body, but he was 
thrilled with horror at coming suddenly upon the stalwart form 
of Captain Eayre, the assistant adjutant general of the brigade 
to which the regiment belonged. When Jack had seen him a 
few months before this officer was the personification of health, 



STAFF DUTY IN WASHINGTON. 387 

manly strength, and military valor. Now, half naked, cold, and 
stiff, his splendid form lay stretched out before the eyes of a 
former comrade, a little bullet hole right over the heart show- 
ing where the messenger of death had sped upon its fatal 
errand. 

Once in a while, in the intervals of shipping troops to the 
front and attending to the duties of recorder at the board of 
examination, Jack found time to take a run through the hospi- 
tals, filled with thousands of sick and wounded, in the city. Here 
he sometimes saw President Lincoln, Walt Whitman, the poet, 
and other celebrities of that day, caring for the wounded, or at 
least going from couch to couch with a kind word and a cordial 
grasp of the hand. Here, also, one hot day in May, he was sum- 
moned to see his captain, who had been severely wounded in the 
arm, almost losing it, in the Wilderness. Captain Bryan was as 
cheery and patient, however, as though he were on a picnic in- 
stead of in a hospital. 

So the weeks and months of 1864 went rapidly by, bring- 
ing Jack toward the close of the year a captain's commission, 
so that he was now " almost " Captain Sanderson ; almost, I 
say, for the regiment was so depleted that none of the promoted 
officers could be mustered into service with their advanced 
rank for the present, so that Jack, with a captain's commission, 
was only "almost a captain." At the opening of 1865 his term 
of service expired, his three years were up, and with his com- 
pany he had no alternative but to be mustered out of service, 
although some of the companies of the regiment, now con- 
solidated with the Fifty-seventh Pennsylvania, prolonged their 
time of enlistment by taking service as veterans ; but Jack's 
company in the consolidation was wiped out, so that now for him 
soldiering was over. He was not satisfied to quit the service, 
however, and while waiting for an opening General Casey said 



388 



WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 



to him, " Why do you not come before the examining board and 
accept service as an officer of colored troops?" Jack finally 
concluded to do this, went before the board, stood his examina- 
tion, and was recommended to the War Department for appoint- 
ment as lieutenant colonel. This recommendation stirred anew 
his military ambition, and he cherished now the hope of being 
at least a field officer. 







THE PAGEANT FADES. 



389 



CHAPTER XXIV. 



THE PAGEANT FADES. 




E A N W H I L E , as the boy waited 
for his appointment, coveting 
eagerly the opportunity of 
ooincr aofain to the front and 
aiding in the closing campaign 
of the war, he had the priv- 
ileo-e of seeinor, among other 
notable spectacles, some of the 
ceremonies and parades as- 
sociated with President Lin- 
coln's second inauguration. 

The 4th of March proved 
tQ be a dismal, sloppy, and 
wretched day, the stormy 
weather spoiling the military 
and civic display, and almost 
preventing anything like a 
parade. There was, however, in spite of the rain and tempest, a 
procession, and through the wet streets the carriages went, headed 
by soldiers, and welcomed by crowds lining the pavements. Pre- 
cisely at the hour — a little after noon — when Mr. Lincoln 
stepped forward to take his place on the platform on the east 
front of the Capitol, to deliver his inaugural and assume anew 
his oath of office, the storm broke away, the sun peered through 



890 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

the clouds, the transfiguring Hght falling upon the rugged, fur- 
rowed, homely face of the President. Those who saw it were 
stricken with awe, and some said to themselves, "Is this a sign 
of divine interposition } " 

On the next day, Sunday, March 5, Bishop Simpson preached 
in the hall of the House of Representatives. The scene which 
the boy then and there beheld can never fade from his memory, 
as the multitude assembled in that historic spot, the President, 
his cabinet, the ladies and their households, distinguished gen- 
erals, foreign embassies, almost the entire membership of both 
houses of Congress, governors of various States, with other dig- 
nitaries from various parts of the country — a congregation rep- 
resenting the very flower of American civilization. The future 
of our land was not yet quite settled ; although enough had been 
done even then by Grant and Sherman to indicate to hopeful 
and believing hearts the ultimate triumj)]! of the Union armies, 
yet many were saying, " What will the spring campaigns bring 
forth 7 What policy will President Lincoln pursue } What will 
be the final fate of our now distracted nation } Will the war 
ever end .-^ " In the midst of his sermon, which had for its text 
the words, "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all 
men unto me," the bishop related the incident of the day before 
with brevity, dignity, and touching simplicity ; and then with 
his utmost power of eloquence he dwelt upon the event as an 
omen of coming prosperity. He pictured the sunshine of peace 
breaking through the clouds of war, illuminating not only the 
radiant features of Mr. Lincoln, but bathing distracted homes 
and bereaved hearts and crowded hospitals and the entire war- 
smitten land, with its battlefields, its ghastly sights of sorrow, 
its myriads of sufferers, in benignant and enduring light. The 
marvelous words of the bishop, whose services to the nation thus 
far during the years of war everybody had recognized, melted, 



THE PAGEANT FADES. 391 

penetrated, overwhelmed that whole audience ; and with shouts, 
applause, sobs, and tears every heart was lifted up to the moun- 
tain-top of prophecy where the orator stood, like one of the old 
Hebrew seers, his face aflame, his form transfigured, his soul 
entranced by the vision of assured peace and union for the 
divided nation near at hand. Without question the voice of 
Bishop Simpson that day was like a voice from the skies for the 
bruised and bleeding heart of Abraham Lincoln, the vicarious 
sufferer for the nation, soon to be the typical martyr of the ages, 
and for those who, with him, were striving to " bind up the na- 
tion's wounds " and " keep the jewels of liberty in the family of 
freedom." 

One bright morning early in April, 1865, just at the time 
when General Casey was ready to offer Jack a regiment of 
troops, and the boy was pluming himself with the ambition to 
be at least a field officer, he was walking along Pennsylvania 
Avenue, near the War Department, when he saw a great throng 
pour out of the building, and soon from the offices in the neigh- 
borhood excited swarms of clerks and soldiers filled the streets. 
Jack looked up along the windows of the War Department, and 
saw there the familiar face of an intimate friend, Mr. D. H. Bates, 
then the confidential telegrapher of Lincoln and Stanton. Mr. 
Lincoln's customary salutation to young Bates when he visited 
the department in search of news was, " Well, Homer, has any- 
thing ' drapped ' this morning ? " Jack, adapting Mr. Lincoln's 
question to suit his needs, cried out, " Halloo, Homer, what has 
' drapped ' this morning ? " Bates waved his handkerchief in 
reply and shouted, " News has just come that Richmond has 
surrendered and Lee is in full retreat !" No one can reproduce 
the thrill, the happiness, the enthusiasm, the overwhelming joy 
of that hour. The streets of Washington were filled with a 
tumultuous throng of soldiers, citizens, women, and children 



392 



WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 



overflowing with rapturous gladness, waving flags, frenzied with 
excitement, shouting till the sky resounded with their songs and 
cheers, halting at the ofiice of Mr. Stanton and listening to his 
words, hearing speeches from him and from Vice President An- 
drew Johnson full of patriotism and joy, and meanwhile, at inter- 



mk 
'' ^ fell 



II' 




"RICHMOND HAS SURRENDERED!" 



vals, joining in the songs of that day, " Rally 'round the flag, 
boys," " The Battle Hymn of the Republic," and others. 
Everybody was decorated with the national tricolors, and flags 
floated from almost every window. When night came the whole 
city was lighted up with splendid illuminations, as the streets 
were crowded still with excited and rejoicing people, exultant at 
the dawn of peace, and beside themselves with gladness that the 



THE PAGEANT FADES. 393 

Union was about to be restored. Then came that tragedy 
which can hardly be brought vividly to mind to-day without 
pangs of immedicable sorrow, the assassination of Mr. Lincoln. 
To the boy it seemed, as he threw himself on his bed that awful 
day and turned his face to the wall and wept with breaking heart 
for the loss which the army, the nation, and the world had sus- 
tained in the death of the martyr President — to the boy it 
seemed as though the sun would never shine again. 

The boy's plans for reentering service were disappointed, 
however, and he resumed his studies again at school, taking up 
his books at the point where he had left them off four years be- 
fore, and eager to make up for what might be called " lost time." 
That expression, however, would be a misnomer for the period 
spent in the army. These years gave the boy a knowledge of 
military and national affairs, a series of glimpses of the resources 
and possibilities of the nation, a love for freedom, and an appre- 
ciation of the blessings and advantages of a republican form of 
government that could have been secured in no other way. Ex- 
perience in the army was an education of itself of the most valu- 
able sort. It taught those who were subjected to its discipline 
the worth of military training, and especially of West Point ed- 
ucation, the virtues of promptness, courage, patience, fortitude, 
and the value of the nation, as no other drill or experience 
could have afforded. The best institution the boy ever attended 
was Uncle Sam's "School of a Soldier." 

A single other picture remains to be added, and these sketches 
are ended. The boy stands in the midst of a vast multitude on 
the steps of the Treasury Department, in Washington, looking 
toward the Capitol, whose magnificent dome looms aloft into the 
sky. He is waiting, with countless thousands, for the triumphal 
appearance of the men who placed that massive structure on new 
foundations from which it shall never be removed. Far and 



394 WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 

wide over the city floats the banner of the republic. It means 
something now, far more than it ever did before ; it is the actual 
symbol of freedom, it is the flag of the free, its stars are the 
luminaries of liberty, its stripes are interblendings of our insti- 
tutions into bonds never to be broken. Sidewalks are crowded 
with spectators ; a great sea of surging faces lines the avenue, 
waiting for the armies that have saved the republic to appear. 
Listen! Far off is the sound of music; the bands are playing in 
the distance ; the soldiers are beginning their march of triumph — 
their toils over, their victories won, their work achieved, their 
crowns of glory assured. A signal gun sounds on the air, and far 
away, coming into range of vision, a mile distant, appears the head 
of the column at the Capitol. Tumultuous cheers fill the air and 
resound from the throats of more than a hundred thousand 
spectators. Division after division wheels into the avenue, while 
the masses wait with breathless interest, the excitement making 
every nerve to tingle and burn. Now the head of the column 
draws near, with Meade leading the way, the conqueror at Gettys- 
burg, the leader of the Army of the Potomac to final victory, 
surrounded by his staff and greeted with shouts and hurrahs on 
every side. His horse is decorated with garlands, and he is kept 
busy bowing right and left to the cheering crowd. This is the 
first day of the review, and the Army of the Potomac has the 
right of way ; this is their day. Custer, with his dashing cavalry, 
accoutered magnificently, follows Meade, and heads the advance 
of the cavalry corps, preluding the advent of the other corps of 
the glorious Army of the Potomac, while the sidewalks, houses, 
and windows are lined with fluttering handkerchiefs, waving 
banners, and garlands lifted high in air. 

On the second day Sherman's army was reviewed — at the 
head Sherman himself, then Howard, his one arm laden with 
flowers, and Logan, tawny and dashing, and the " bummers," car- 




PEN AND INK SKETCH OF GENERAL PHIL. SHERIDAN, 1863. 



THE PAGEANT FADES. 897 

rying their spoils, now and then making merriment in the parade 
— bronzed with southern suns, weather-beaten, not as well dressed 
as the Army of the Potomac, but a splendid body of men. The 
boy, on the second day, opposite the reviewing stand at the 
White House, saw Grant, the conqueror, Stanton, the organizer, 
Seward, still weak and pallid, and President Johnson, greeted 
with rousing cheers. Sheridan, unluckily absent from the pa- 
rade, was in the Southwest, watching our Mexican frontier. 

The boy watches the marching columns, thrilled with the 
magnificent spectacle and with the memories of bivouac and 
battle which throng to his mind, admires the swing of victory 
which all the troops have acquired, and comments to himself, as 
one after another commander or regiment familiar in other days 
passes swiftly along, after this fashion : " I was with you on the 
Tennessee River — I saw you last at Fort Donelson — I remember 
your splendid charge at Pittsburgh Landing — I waded with you 
through muddy trenches in the siege of Corinth — I helped you 
on recruiting service — I was with you at Fredericksburg — I 
spent the winter with you at Falmouth — I was in the thorny 
thickets and scrub oaks of Chancellorsville with you in May, 
1863— I marched with you to Gettysburg — I trod the journey 
with you back into old Virginia again." And so, all along the 
line, for two days, old scenes and memories came thrilling to the 
front, until the boy's heart was overfull. 

When, toward the end of the first day of review, in Mott's 
division of the Army of the Potomac, the boy's old regiment 
marched along he broke down. The colors, torn to rags, stained 
with blood, and blackened with battle-smoke, floated over the 
thinned ranks, which the boy saw dimly through tears, his be- 
loved captain, now Major Bryan, and the bronzed comrades of 
former days, covered with dust and with glory, proudly mingling 
with the splendid pageant 



398 



WHAT A BOY SAW IN THE ARMY. 



Here and there in this marching army the boy noted an old 
friend, a comrade, who had shared his shelter tent, ridden beside 
him in battle, lain with him in the trenches, been a companion 
on picket duty, or had " drunk from the same canteen." 

The boy, as he gazed, saw other forms, misty and shadowy at 
first, but then assuming substance and form and life — the figures 
of those who had fallen in the four years of war. Tears washed 
from their dust-stained faces, wounds all healed, health recruited, 
toils over, they took their place in the procession, and marched 
by the side of their comrades of the olden time, they, too, rejoic- 
ing that slavery was dead, the Union restored, and the nation 
saved. At the head of this shadowy army in review stood Lin- 
coln, the typical martyr, the greatest man of his age, exultant 
and triumphant that, after the cares and sorrows, the anxieties 
and battles, of the past the nation had had a new birth unto 
freedom. 

Then the vision faded, and with it came to an end " What a 
Boy Saw in the Army." 















PEACE AND LIBERTY BORN FROM THE MOUTH OF THE CANNON. 



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